Teenage Kicks
by gleekilicious
Summary: New Directions and the Warblers go to NYC for Nationals, but typically nothing seems to be going right and the trip is unforgettable. Nationals is only the start of the story, and things get way more complicated. Who knew Glee club had this much drama!
1. The Boys Are Back In Town

Kurt woke with a small jolt as Blaine gently shook his shoulder, his smiling face the first – and only – thing Kurt saw as he blinked blearily, sitting up and grunting as his spine clicked, a residual ache in his neck letting him know that it did _not_ approve of sleeping on a bus. He swallowed, opening his mouth to say something but was cut off by Blaine's low murmur.

"We're just coming into New York, Kurt. And I think your phone is the one that keeps ringing."

"... Oh..." he mumbled, not very intelligently as he tried to process Blaine's words, running the backs of his knuckles along his eyes, fingers brushing through his hair to make sure everything was where it should be before fumbling in his pocket for his iPhone, sliding it out. Three new messages. Stifling another yawn, Kurt slid it unlocked and opened up his messages.

'Call me when you get there. Dad.'

'hey babe x x x howz about sum shopping with ur fav diva in NY? x x x'

'brit wants 2 kno if any of the boys r reely grls n i forgot ur shoes srry.'

… Damn Finn. Kurt sighed irritably, letting his head thunk against the window. Those shoes would have been perfect... His thumbs moved quickly, despite his sleepy state.

'Nearly there, dad. Keep eating healthily. Love you.'

'Mercedes, you took the words from my mouth. I'll call you as soon as I can get away x x x'

'You're an idiot, Finn, but since we're now related I'll forgive you. Also, all the boys are boys. Stop encouraging Britt's madness.'

"Everything okay...?" Blaine asked, smiling at Kurt from his seat next to him, offering him an earphone from his iPod. Kurt took it, smiling softly back at his friend, the sound of their set-list greeting him.

"Yeah... Just my dad, Mercedes and Finn. He forgot my shoes."

"The McQueens?"

"Bingo," Kurt sighed, shooting Blaine a long-suffering look.

"Oh, ouch," Blaine winced, genuine sympathy shining in his eyes. "And they would have gone so well-"

"-With my outfit for tonight...!" Kurt finished, laughing along with Blaine as they both nodded, lifting their hands and high-fiving gently, though it was more a pat of palms than the typical let's-make-your-hand-fall-off high-fives that were commonplace. "I know," he sighed, letting his hand rest back on his knee, lips still in their small, sad smile. "But I'll live."

"Thank god you have the Jacobs. They'll be fine, especially if you wear your black shirt, as opposed to the green," Blaine said, leaning his own head back against the padded chair.

"And lo, a genius whose wisdom has saved me for a fashion catastrophe," Kurt grinned, delighting in the soft laugh Blaine let out, flicking a hand in a small gesture.

"It's my pleasure~," he grinned. "Oh, look...!" He pointed, Kurt turning his head obediently to look out the window and gasping softly as the amazing New York skyline swept majestically into view.

"... Oh my god..." It was beautiful... Utterly beautiful, in a terrifying, exciting way. Suddenly he was aware that Blaine was leaning over him, their cheeks close as he peered out the window too, grinning.

"Amazing..."

Kurt swallowed, laughing softly and jerking his head just in time to stop their temples smacking together as the bus jolted. Blaine leaned back with another soft smile, turning around in his seat to chat to Wes and David as Kurt's phone buzzed again.

'brit wants 2 kno if der all gay srry bout the shoes ill by u a hat'

Kurt took a moment to decipher Finn's message before sighing softly, texting back.

'No, they're not all gay. And I'm holding you to the promise of a new hat.'

As soon as he hit the send button, his phone buzzed again.

'awesome x x x bring blaine 2 if u want babe x x x gonna bring sum of the gurls x x x'

Kurt bit back a small smile, tapping Blaine on the shoulder. "Blaine...?" The boy turned, smiling at his friend.

"That's me."

"Do you want to come shopping with Mercedes, myself and a few of the girls from New Directions this afternoon?"

"Of course! That'd be great. Thanks!" Blaine nodded, squeezing Kurt's wrist softly before turning back to Wes and David, chatting about the football game last night.

'Mercedes, you're a goddess on earth. Blaine and I will see you lot later x x x'

Kurt slid his phone back into his pocket and stretched, shivering as his shoulders popped, his knees cracked and... Yeah. He really had been sitting for too long. His eyes fixed on the view outside the window, a small, excited smile on his face as they drew closer and closer to New York, and what he was sure would be the best weekend of his life so far, even though they had to spend nearly all of Friday on this bus, and pretty much all of Monday too to return.

It was another hour later that the bus finally pulled up to their hotel, a tall building that certainly wasn't too shabby, its glittering Crowne Plaza Hotel sign prominent on the stone wall. Not to mention it was _in Times Square right next to Broadway_. He'd never be able to thank Richard enough for having a father who'd managed to get them a discount on their hotel.

Had he mentioned it was in Times Square? Right next to Broadway? Yeah. Because it was.

Kurt resisted the urge to scramble out of the bus as soon as it had stopped moving, instead waiting patiently for everyone to filter out in turn, brushing down his Dalton uniform. He couldn't _wait_ to change into his own clothes, no matter how smart these were, his clothes were a huge part of him and... Well, he never felt 100% _right _when he wasn't in them. Finally he was stepping off the bus onto the pavement, a permanent grin on his face as he looked around, following the queue to the boot to take out their belongings. With his big, light green and black suitcase trailing behind him he made his way up the steps towards the door of the hotel, Blaine quickly catching up with his much smaller suitcase in tow and shooting Kurt a charming smile as he held the door open for him. Kurt beamed back, looking over his shoulder one last time before he stepped inside and moved out the way so Blaine and the rest could come through too.

Wes and David strode up to the check-in desk, smiling as they got their reservation. Thanks to the prestige of both the school and its Glee Club, plus Wes and David being in their last year of school and utterly trustworthy, the trip had been organized, fund-raised, paid for and kept in motion by the two. They turned to the eager, smiling and shockingly well behaved group of boys waiting. Wes handed out room keys as David spoke.

"We're all going to go to our rooms now, unpack, change, relax and take some time to get over the trauma of that bus journey. Then you're all free until 6PM, when you'll all return here. You can only go out in groups of two or more, and if anyone gets separated or lost from the other, go to the nearest shop or café and ring either Wes or myself, and then your partner. Wes and I aren't going to help you, but we will tell you you're an idiot, and to stay where you are until you're found like the little lost sheep you are. Alright?"

There were nods all round along with a few laughs, Kurt giving Blaine an excited smile as he took the key from David with a murmur of thanks.

"Lead the way, Kurt," Blaine smiled, following him as Kurt moved towards the elevator, checking the floor and room number on the key's tag before pushing the appropriate buttons, a few more of the boys climbing in. Wes smiled at him, leaning against the rail.

"So, are you going to meet up with your old classmates today, Kurt?"

"Yeah," Kurt laughed, fingers brushing his fringe to the side as he glanced to Blaine. "Blaine and I are going to meet up with some of the girls for a bit of retail therapy." Wes laughed softly and nodded, David checking his notebook and writing down a couple of things. The lift stopped; the doors slid open a moment later and the boys stepped out into the grand looking hallway, taking a second to gather their bearings before heading towards their rooms.

"Well, see you two later," Wes said with a small wave as he and David went into their room.

"We'll keep in contact," Blaine grinned, unlocking their door, right opposite the other two and holding it open again for Kurt with a short bow and a twinkle in his eyes. Kurt bit back a giggle, pretending to curtsy before going in and breathing out softly in awe, looking around the amazing room, the amazing view, the amazing decoration, the-...

"... Can I come in too?" Blaine asked with a laugh. Kurt flushed, stepping aside immediately to let him in and grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry. The room's amazing..." he murmured, leaving his suitcase in a corner of the room and going over to the huge window, looking down onto Times Square. "... Oh my god... The view..." he breathed, gently flattening his palms on the window as he peered out, watching the crowds scurry to and fro. Blaine stepped up beside him, their shoulders brushing and their breath fogging up the glass as they both looked down onto the street.

"... It's unbelievable, Kurt..."

Kurt glanced over to Blaine, crooking a small smile. "Some day in the future, I'll be so used to it that it'll become boring~" he joked, Blaine laughing softly and drawing back, sitting on the big double bed in the middle of the room, flopping back onto it with a hum of content. Kurt went over to the small armchair beside a table, flicking out his phone and calling Mercedes.

"Whadd'up~?"

He couldn't stop the grin creeping onto his face. "Hey, girlfriend~ Are you in the big apple yet?"

"Uh huh! You'd better believe it! We're in some crappy little hotel outside the city, but we're right by a subway. Where are you?"

"I," he grinned, "am in a hotel over looking _Times Square_."

"Oh my god! No way!"

"Yes way~!" He laughed, Blaine sitting up and laughing softly too.

"You lucky little...!" she laughed. "So, do you have your own room?"

"No, no. I'm sharing with Blaine. We're in pairs."

"Uh huh~ Let me guess, double bed~?" The grin in her voice was obvious as Kurt flushed a little.

"Oh, shut up~ Anyway, shopping. When can you get here?"

"Mr. Schue's letting us go in about half an hour, so it'll be about an hour from now until we get into Times Square."

"Got it," Kurt smiled. "Call me when you get here, and Blaine and I'll come out and meet you." He hung up then, leaning back against his chair and glancing over as Blaine flicked on the kettle in their room, brewing them both a much needed cup of Earl Grey tea, coming over with the teacups on saucers. He handed one to Kurt with a wink, sitting opposite and crossing his legs just as Kurt had done. "Well," he smiled, "this is simply lovely."

Kurt smiled softly back at him, over the rim of his cup as he sipped, his pinky elegantly poised as if he was from the highest English aristocracy. "Perfectly charming."

"Astoundingly bewitching."

"Incredibly enamouring."

"Delightfully enrapturing."

"Exquisitely captivating."

"Fascinatingly enthralling."

"Wonderfully... Hypnotising."

"Astonishingly... Um..." Blaine laughed, his thumb ruefully rubbing his chin as he thought. "... Pleasing...?"

Kurt laughed too, sipping his tea again and smiling, looking out the window for a moment or two, speaking softly. "All in all, the best weekend of my life..."

Blaine smiled at him before looking out too, watching crowds pour out of a theatre onto the busy street. "I couldn't agree more..."

An hour later he and Blaine were sitting outside a small café, in their own clothes and waiting for Mercedes and company to arrive, Vogue's newest edition between them as they discussed the merits and drawbacks of ponchos, and whether or not they really did have a place in the fashion scene of today.

"I'm telling you Blaine, not even Naomi Campbell can work a poncho...! It's completely and utterly dated!"

"But isn't that what fashion's all about? Re-invention? Re-definition?" He grinned, nudging his knee against Kurt's as the boy pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, closing his eyes and looking pained.

"... I swear to god, Blaine... Sometimes I don't know what I'm going to do with you..." Blaine's laugh was as bright as the sun shining down on them as Kurt broke off into giggles, shaking his head.

He was brought out of his little bubble as Mercedes' familiar voice rang loud and clear over the bustle of the street.

"KURT!"

He gasped softly, standing and turning to her immediately, a beam breaking out to match hers as she ran towards him, arms outstretched. "Mercedes...!" He pushed his chair aside, running to her too as people paused, watching the mismatched pair almost slam together, laughing as they hugged each other as tight as they could. Kurt's hat got knocked a little askew by the collision, Mercedes' bag almost falling off her arm. He clamped his eyes shut as he breathed in her perfume, the scent hitting him hard and bringing home just how much he missed her.

"... It's like watching dark chocolate and white chocolate hugging..." came Brittany's breathy, spacey voice from beside them, Kurt opening his eyes and beaming, gently drawing back from the hug as he turned to look at his fellow ex-Glee Clubbers.

Santana was standing in what could only be called minimalistic clothing, arms linked with a similarly dressed Brittany. Quinn stood beside them, her clothes a little more conservative than the other Cheerios, and finally Tina, smiling and waving in her usual Gothic getup. Kurt swallowed, blinking away tears.

"Hey..." He murmured, smiling as they all – even Santana – came over and hugged him with a chorus of greetings. Blaine stood, slipping their magazine into his bag and took off his large, pink-rimmed sunglasses. Kurt beamed at him, brushing his hair to the side and stepping back a little so he and Blaine were side by side.

"Girls," he said, voice a little stronger and less emotional, "this is Blaine. Blaine, this is Santana," she waved, smirking as she looked him up and down, "Brittany," she smiled widely, "Quinn," a little wave, "and Tina. You already know Mercedes." Blaine laughed, his eyes twinkling with their mesmerizing charm.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"_Damn_," Santana laughed, nudging Mercedes. "You were right. He _is _hot."

"Totally..." Brittany breathed, Tina giggling softly in the background as Blaine laughed and looked to Kurt, a little lost. Santana tossed her hair, squeezing Brittany's arm even as she smirked at Blaine.

"Are you sure you're gay? We could always test that-"

"-And this is where you shut up now, Santana," Kurt said hurriedly, flushing for Blaine as Mercedes laughed and looked to Santana.

"You're embarrassing them~" She all but cooed, taking Kurt's arm as Quinn shouldered her bag and smiled softly.

"Since Tina, Mike Sam and I are meant to be meeting up for lunch, I think we should go."

"I'd totally sleep with you... You wouldn't even have to buy me dinner or flowers..." Brittany smiled, eyes still on Blaine who was looking mildly panicked as the two scantily clad girls took an arm each, sweeping him along after Quinn and Tina. Blaine was obviously flustered, eyebrows raised.

"I, uh... I... Thank you...? I think...?" He tried, both Santana and Brittany giggling at his blatant discomfort at being so crudely propositioned.

"... I should have warned him about Santana and Brittany..." Kurt murmured, he and Mercedes bringing up the rear of the group as they headed towards 59th Street. Mercedes just laughed, squeezing Kurt's arm and looking up to him.

"He'll be fine~," she grinned before pausing for a second. "Damn, Kurt... Have you grown...?"

"I don't think so... Maybe a little, but..." he said, blinking before showing her his shoes. "Heels," he said with a small smile, pointing out the fashionable way the whole sole became a sloping heel. "And you're in flats."

"Thank god," she laughed, the two hurrying after their friends as Blaine shot a terrified look over his shoulder towards Kurt, his expression begging for help at the same time Santana and Brittany looped their arms around the back of Blaine's waist. Kurt bit back a grin, lips moving wordlessly.

'This is Karma for thinking ponchos were cool.'

Blaine's brows furrowed as he lip read before he snorted, biting back a laugh and mouthing to Kurt.

'I take it all back! Ponchos are the devil's work!'

Nothing could stop the giggles flowing from Kurt's lips as they paused by a Gucci window display, Quinn leaning in to look at the sun-dresses.

"That one," Kurt said, pointing out one in tasteful, pastel pink, "would really compliment your figure and your hair colour, Quinn. Especially if Sam's brought his infamous blue jumper."

Quinn laughed softly, Blaine nodding and looking over to her with a smile. "Add some white, strappy sandals,"

Kurt grinned, looking to him across Mercedes' head. "Some silver jewellery,"

"Preferably with blue gems," Blaine said, looking over to Kurt with a smile in his eyes.

"And white ankle socks,"

""And you'll have Versace's Summer Dream collection...!"" They chorused, breaking off into little laughs as the girls stared up at them.

"... Are you two psychic...?" Brittany whispered.

"No, Britt," Santana sighed, rolling her eyes. "They're both just incredibly gay."

"I prefer the term fashion aware. A concept you seem to be struggling to grasp," Kurt snipped, Santana glaring up at him and opening her mouth to retort before Blaine laughed charmingly and gently tugged them towards the entrance.

"Let's just go in and take a look around," he said, his warm, genuine smile instantly distracting Santana from snapping back at Kurt.

Quinn laughed softly and followed them in, immediately going and picking out the sun-dress in her size and holding it against herself as Blaine went over to her, Santana and Brittany in tow as he lead them to the clothing racks with a confident smile. Tina hung back with Mercedes and Kurt, heading straight to the shoes. Twenty minutes later they were all by the changing rooms, sitting in the plush seats as a few of the staff members milled around, reassured that the group weren't trouble makers of any sort. In fact, one of the floor girls had taken an instant shine to Blaine and had shown him some items that weren't quite on the shelves yet, much to Kurt's excitement as he longingly clung to a pair of shoes that hadn't even come out in Vogue.

"Blaine," Santana grinned, taking his wrist and tugging him up, "come and help me put these on."

"... Uh," he laughed, looking unsurely back to the group, "... I'm not sure if that's..."

"It's fine," she smirked. "You're gay, right? It's not like you'll be perving on me."

"O-Of course not...!" He blustered, his shock letting down his guard for the split second Santana needed to tug him into the swanky cubicle and shut the saloon-esque door. Kurt's eyebrow twitched as he crossed his arms.

"Just what is she playing at..." he murmured, almost to himself as Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"She just can't take no for an answer, I guess."

Santana smirked softly at Blaine, gently pushing him down to sit as she faced the mirror and, without an ounce of shame, whipped off her top. Blaine's indigent, soft squawk cracked the annoyed look on Kurt's face as he covered his mouth with his hand and tried not to laugh out loud. Mercedes almost doubled over as she tried to keep quiet, all of them able to see as Santana's shirt dropped to the floor, her skirt quickly following as another strangled noise of embarrassment came from the poor boy trapped in there with her.

Santana raised an eyebrow, hands on hips as she faced Blaine who'd covered his face with his hands and turned away slightly. "Seriously...? This does nothing for you?"

"... Please just put some clothes on..." Blaine mumbled, the tips of his ears bright red. Kurt had never heard the confident, smiling boy sound so... Ruffled. It was, frankly, hilarious.

"... Damn it," Santana sighed, reaching for the clothes Blaine had picked for her. "What if I took off my panti-"

"-Please don't!"

That was the last straw. Kurt, Tina, Mercedes and Quinn all burst into laughter that just had Blaine going even pinker beneath his hands as Santana grumpily pulled on her clothes. Her frown disappeared as she turned this way and that, dressed and inspecting herself in the mirror.

"... You can look now. I'm dressed. I promise~" she laughed as Blaine slowly peered at her through his fingers, dropping his hands in relief as he saw that she was indeed dressed. He tried for a smile, though a hint of nervousness was still clear in his eyes. He stood, nervously brushing his shirt down and nodding as Santana twirled. She opened the door, striding out and striking a pose, the group 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing, Kurt clapping as Blaine snuck out from behind her and hurriedly sat down beside Kurt, still looking a little shell shocked.

"Karma, Blaine. Poncho-y karma," Kurt whispered, a smirk playing about his lips as Blaine simply groaned softly and slumped more in his chair. Brittany was next to disappear into the cubicle, going solo and coming out in simply stunning dress that Kurt had found, hidden away. It took another good twenty minutes for the mini fashion show to finish, the group leaving the shop with a few discounted items between them, namely Quinn's pink dress and Kurt's new shoes.

Which, as Blaine had correctly pointed out, would look much better than the Jacobs. That really sealed the $160 deal in the end, and Quinn's dress had ended up costing only $99 because of a small tear, and the fact it had never sold many in the first place. Kurt had assured her that the small tear could, and would, be expertly repaired by him this weekend. Quinn and Tina left after a brief visit to D&G, saying they had to meet Sam and Mike on a sort of double-date, and that they'd catch up with them later on. However, half an hour later Kurt got a text from Finn saying (almost incoherently) that the rest of New Directions had found themselves in the same restaurant, and Kurt should bring Blaine, Santana, Brittany and Mercedes to it so they could all have lunch together and meet Blaine. After a quick discussion, Kurt agreed to come and soon the five of them were walking into a little restaurant, just by Times Square. A big table was taken up by New Directions in the corner of the room, the place balancing just the right amount of class and informality that suited everyone from Rachel to Puck.

It was Mr. Schue who spotted them first, standing up and grinning, beckoning them over with a wave of his hand as he made his way to Kurt. When he got there, he reached out to gently squeeze Kurt's shoulder with a warm smile.

"Kurt! It's great to see you again! And you must be Blaine," he smiled, looking at the handsome, smiling boy standing close to Kurt.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Schuester," he said, holding out his hand and smiling wider as Mr. Schue took it, shaking. "Kurt's told me a lot about you. It's nice to finally get to meet you."

Will laughed, instantly charmed by the young man as he rubbed the back of his head, smiling at Kurt. "Good things, I hope," he grinned, sharing the laugh with Blaine before ushering them over to sit, Kurt's cheeks tinged pink with nerves. He took a short breath and shot a smile to Blaine, who was sitting between him and Puck.

"Blaine, this is Sam,"

"Hey!"

"Rachel,"

"Good afternoon!"

"Finn,"

"Hey."

"Puck,"

"Yo."

"Mike,"

"Hey."

"Artie."

"'Sup."

"And..." … Kurt blinked, his hand gesturing to the large girl stuffing her face with sweets whose name he didn't know.

"Lauren," Rachel said quickly, with a strained smile.

"... And Lauren," Kurt said, looking at her still with a sense of... Well... He didn't know exactly, but _she_ was meant to be his replacement...? Things must've gotten pretty bad.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Blaine said with a smile that had every girl smiling instantly back, the boys nodding their heads and making gruff noises as they instantly put two and two together, and came out with 'gay'. Puck reached behind Blaine to pat Kurt's back with enough force to almost send him slamming into the table.

"'S good to see you again, Kurt," he said. Gruffly. Like a man.

"... Thanks, Puck," Kurt said, wincing a little as he rolled his shoulder. Finn nodded, looking at him from over the table and crooking a dopey smile.

"Sorry about the shoes. I honestly thought I'd put them in my suitcase."

"It's fine, Finn. I bought some new ones. I'll survive."

Finn nodded, sipping his water and glancing over as Sam and Puck started discussing football, soon joining in along with Artie. A moment later, Blaine piped up.

"Are you talking about the game last night, by any chance...?" He asked. Puck looked over to him, crooking an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. Do you like, like football?"

"I do," Blaine laughed, seeing the shock on the boy's faces as they tried to cope with the concept that a guy could both be gay and like football. "Honestly," he smiled, pouring himself a little water. "I thought Ymein's tackle was totally uncalled for. He'd been hanging right all evening, and then came out of nowhere."

"Dude, I totally agree!" Sam said. "That happened to me once and the dude totally dislocated my shoulder...!"

"Oh, ouch," Blaine winced emphatically. "It's really bad sportsmanship, in my opinion." Finn and Puck nodded wisely and before Kurt could even utter a word, they were all engrossed in a debate over some intricate part of the game Kurt didn't understand, and quite frankly, didn't want to. He sent Mercedes a long suffering look as she giggled softly, patting his shoulder and bringing him into the conversation with Mr. Schue and the girls about things Kurt had missed since being at Dalton. They all jumped at the sudden roar of laughter from the 'boy's end' of the table, looking around to see Puck clapping Blaine on the back as they laughed at a joke he'd made, Blaine's winning smile infectious.

"Well," Kurt said softly to the gaggle of girls, an eyebrow raised. "At least they like him, right?"

"You'd better watch out," Mercedes laughed, their food arriving. "They look ready to steal him away from you," she teased as everyone tucked in, the conversation slowly coming round to music, the whole table soon involved with the light-hearted, jovial banter. Kurt leaned close to Blaine, murmuring just below the level of conversation.

"So...? What do you think?"

"Apart from Santana's terrifying stripping in the changing room," he said playfully, "I think everyone's really great, Kurt. Honestly. Even Santana." Kurt laughed, relaxing back in his chair a little more and nodding.

"Good." He knew Blaine would understand that although life was so much better at Dalton, his friends at McKinley had been – and still were – incredibly important to him.

Unsurprisingly, it was Puck who turned to the giant, pink elephant in the room and punched it in its proverbial face.

"So, Blaine, dude," he said, the tone of his voice instantly making everyone listen, Kurt turning to look at Puck with a warning sheen in his eyes. Puck carried on regardless as Blaine smiled questioningly at him. "You are, you know, gay, right?"

The half-beat of silence that followed was tense; even Mr. Schue listening though he was blatantly trying not to look like he was. But instead of Blaine getting offended or frowning, he simply smiled a little wider.

"Yes, I am. Is that a problem...?" He asked, laughing a little as the boys hurriedly shook their heads.

"Nah, dude. We're cool with that stuff," Puck said with a self-assured nod, crossing his arms. "Kurt's like... Like... Like our brother, dude, and we're totally cool with him."

Kurt could feel himself flushing a little as he listened to this weird and oddly touching speech from Puck.

"I punched the dick who was giving him trouble," Sam said, with a sense of pride. "And I won. Even though I got a black eye. And it didn't really help in the end..."

"And Kurt kinda is my brother now, sort of, so... Yeah. No problem," Finn finished, with a dopey little smile. Blaine grinned back, looking to Kurt for a second.

"Well, that's good. Is there anything else you want to know?" he asked, before Kurt could tell him that would be a bad idea, especially with Puck's state of mind moving on from 'protective' to 'curious', Brittany's lack of sanity, and Finn's utter lack of tact. There was a second of silence before Santana sipped her drink, her eyes trained on Blaine's.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"Uh, no," he laughed. "I play-married a girl when I was five, but since the reception party was a collection of Barbies and teddy bears, and the minister a G.I Joe, I don't think that really counts," he grinned, his easy-going, confident nature getting a laugh even from Mr. Schue, who probably wasn't meant to be listening to this sort of thing whilst trying to be the Responsible Adult. Santana smiled again, this time with a little more danger in her eyes.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend, then?"

Kurt's fingers fumbled nervously with his napkin before brushing his hair to the side as Blaine laughed softly again. "I had a very brief 'relationship'," he said, crooking his fingers to form the quotes, "with a boy last year. It only lasted two weeks."

"Did you sleep with him?" Brittany asked, cocking her head as all the boys suddenly looked everywhere that _wasn't_ Blaine or Kurt or anything awkward or... Yeah.

"Uh, no," Blaine laughed, rubbing his nape and obviously not having expected to be asked about his sex life, and especially not in front of a teacher. "No, we just held hands," he said with a small, awkward smile. Kurt swallowed, his own eyes trained on his plate. Blaine was a virgin too. Mercedes, keen to get rid of the mounting tension, leaned forwards.

"Do you have brothers or sisters, Blaine?"

He shot her a grateful look and a smile as everyone relaxed, the conversation back on safe ground. "I have an older sister, Jessica. She's at college in Chicago, studying Law." Mr. Schue smiled at him.

"Where do you live, Blaine?"

"Well, I board at Dalton, but I actually live about an hour north of there. It's not really near any big towns, but my parents love the house there, so that's where we stay," he laughed, sipping his water. The conversation continued innocently enough for the next fifteen minutes or so, the bill coming and everyone chipping in a little to pay. Finally, Mr. Schue lifted his hands to quell the conversation, everyone going quiet as they looked at him.

"Since we're all here along with Kurt and Blaine, I'd like to say a few words." He turned a little, looking to Kurt. "Kurt... It's really, really great to see you so happy again, even though it means we've had to say goodbye to you."

Kurt smiled softly, blinking as he tried not to get overtly emotional.

"What happened to you at McKinley shouldn't have ever happened to anyone, and especially not to the level that it got to. The state you were put in went beyond simple High-School bullying, and for that, I'm really sorry that I didn't step in sooner and try to stop it."

Kurt swallowed, blinking a little more rapidly as Blaine gently nudged their knees together under the table.

"We all want you to know that we really miss you, Kurt, and though we're now technically rivals, well..." he laughed softly and stood. "Seriously," he grinned, "why am I saying these things when we could be singing them. Right, guys?"

"Right, Mr. Schue," Rachel beamed, standing up too with the rest of Glee as Kurt looked around them, a little confused as to what was going on.

With three flicks of Mr. Schue's fingers counting them in, New Directions burst into song, smiles on their faces as they started to hum, the notes tumbling from their lips as they all pulled away a little from the table, forming a semi-circle around Kurt and Blaine, both cracking into smiles as they instantly recognized the tune. Finn shifted forwards to take the first lines, taking his time with them and keeping the song's tempo slow, almost crooning and more sedate than the original.

"_You've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me, when the road looks rough ahead,"_

The people in the restaurant were turning to look, smiles on their faces at the beautiful blend of voices singing the harmonies, the melodic vein of the lyrics cutting clear on top of them. Rachel smiled softly and stepped forwards as Finn stepped back, eyes closing as she sang.

"_And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed, just remember what your old pal said,"_

Kurt swallowed, grinning even as he completely teared up, biting his lip a little as Santana cocked her head with a small smile, taking her place and pointing to Kurt, but sending a flirtatious wink to Blaine.

"_Boy, you've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me,"_

Quinn's smile was soft and beautiful, Kurt's eyes following them as they seamlessly moved towards him to sing their lines before fading back into the harmonics.

"_You've got a friend in me, you've got troubles, well I've got 'em too,"_

They were all swaying, clicking their fingers along to the beat, Puck grinning down at Kurt as he – gently, for Puck – grabbed his shoulder.

"_There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, we stick together and we see it through,"_

Even Lauren, who Kurt really didn't know at all, was singing along with Tina as they both smiled at him.

"_You've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me,"_

Sam grinned softly, winking and cocking his head, his blonde – dyed – hair falling over his eyes a little as he shrugged, stepping forwards.

"_Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am,"_

Artie grinned, gently pushing Kurt's arm as the tearful boy gave a little laugh.

"_Bigger and stronger too, maybe,"_

And then Mercedes' voice was crashing over him, her whole soul n her lines as she took Kurt's hands and sang from the very depths of her heart.

"_But none of them will ever love you the way I do, it's me and you...!"_

Mr. Schue was grinning as he sang, though his eyes too looked a little glazed, busting a quick move that had Kurt laughing softly.

"_And as the years go by, yeah, our friendship will never die,"_

Brittany beamed, still looking utterly spaced out as she took her place.

"_You're gonna see, it's our destiny,"_

Even Mike grinned, touching his cap as he nervously, but admirably, sang his solo line with an accompanying move to Mr. Schue's one earlier.

"_You've got a friend in me,"_

And then, like a heavenly chorus of music that had a single tear trekking down Kurt's cheek as he smiled at them all, utterly enthralled and touched, they all burst into a truly incredible, diverse range of vocals and pitches that actually left Kurt a little breathless.

"_You've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me...!"_

Kurt was clapping before they'd even finished, Blaine and the rest of the restaurant joining in, even the staff having appeared from the kitchens and such to see what was going on. Kurt drew a deep breath, quickly wiping away the spilt tear as he laughed shakily, his friends all sitting down and the buzz of conversation in the restaurant resuming.

"Thank you," he all but whispered, swallowing and saying it again, a little more confidently as Mercedes hugged him close. "I-... What can I say...? That was amazing..." he laughed, wiping his eyes subtly with his napkin.

Blaine grinned, gently nudging Kurt with his elbow. "I don't know about you, Kurt, but I think The Warblers are going to be in big trouble this year," he laughed, the rest of the group bursting into laughter too, Kurt leaning a little on Mercedes.

"I know that you guys are rehearsing in the theatre tomorrow morning, and we've got the afternoon, but I was wondering if you two would like to join us for dinner that night? We've got a table for fifteen reserved at the Miranda Restaurant on 80 Berry Street," Mr. Schue beamed, handing the little black book stuffed with money to the waiter who smiled, taking it away. Kurt looked to Blaine, smiling widely, his eyes shining with his eagerness to go and spend more time with his friends.

"Well, I'd love to," Blaine laughed. "Thank you so much for inviting me along."

Mr. Schue chuckled softly, waving a hand as he stood. "It's our pleasure. The table's booked for 8, and I guess we'll see you two then."

There was a clatter of chairs as everyone stood too, gathering their bags and so on, some of the girls hugging Kurt tightly as Puck clapped Blaine on the back again and swaggered off, swinging his arm around Santana's shoulders. After a few moments of confusion, hugs and goodbyes, Kurt and Blaine were walking towards their hotel again, small smiles on their faces.

Blaine gently nudged their elbows, his eyes glittering as they caught the sunlight. "Those shoes really do look good on you, Kurt." He'd changed into his new Guccis in the bathroom before they'd left the restaurant and their dark red leather sides seemed to gleam in the light, the little buckles twinkling. Kurt flushed a little, nervously brushing his hair to the side as he giggled, flattered.

"Thanks~ I've just noticed that they match your jacket, and now we're colour co-ordinated." Blaine looked down at them both before bursting into soft peals of laughter, adjusting his sunglasses and swaggering a little.

"And don't we just look fabulous, darling~" he grinned, sending Kurt into another fit of giggles as Blaine looped their arms together and tugged them into a proud strut, chins up and chests out. Kurt had never felt so proud, so light-headed as he and Blaine walked along, arm in arm, designer shopping bags hanging on the crooks of their elbows, wonderful hats and sunglasses firmly in place.

"We're totally the most fantastic, fancy, fashionable duo in the whole of New York," Kurt laughed, a little breathless as they turned the corner and headed towards the hotel. Blaine chuckled softly and squeezed Kurt's arm, swooping them past the entrance of the hotel and down towards Broadway.

"The most fantabulous, frivolous, flamboyant duo to have ever existed," he shot back with a wink. "And so, we're going to explore Broadway and all that jazz~"

"I simply can't think of something I'd like more," Kurt giggled, his cheeks a little pinker as they wandered past the grand theatres, weaving in and out of the crowds, their arms fitting together like two links of a chain.

It wasn't until 10PM that Kurt collapsed down onto the plush bed with a groan of exhaustion. After wandering Broadway until 6, they'd returned to the hotel, been checked in by Wes and David, ushered into a sitting room for a Warblers conference, then taken to the hotel's restaurant for dinner, and then finally released back to their rooms. Blaine snickered at him, flicking on the kettle again and taking off his shoes as Kurt did the same. Both pairs were neatly put in the bottom of the wardrobe, Kurt immediately going through their shopping bags and hanging and folding and putting away as Blaine watched with a tender smile, making the tea. Soon Kurt was presented with a cup of fragrant Earl Grey.

"Thanks, Blaine," he sighed, blowing on the much needed liquid to cool it as he slowly sat in one of the armchairs and crossed his legs, looking up as Blaine came to sit opposite him.

"It's my pleasure," Blaine returned with another wink that had Kurt blushing again, biting back a grin as he looked out of the window, the lights of the big city playing over their faces like stained glass. Kurt glanced back to Blaine and sucked in a sharp, silent breath at how handsome he looked, his expression relaxed and gentle, the neon colours dancing over his skin and catching the hollows and shape of his face. When Kurt realized he was staring he forced himself to look away, sipping his tea again and standing a second later.

"I'm going to take a shower..." he murmured, Blaine shifting a little to look up at him and nod his head.

"Got it..."

Kurt finished his tea and turned to their wardrobe, plucking out pyjamas and then going to his suitcase, taking out one of two wash-bags before heading into the bathroom and closing the door. He came out about half an hour later, washed and in his light blue flannel pyjamas with a small smile and flushed cheeks. Blaine was on his side of the bed, in a t-shirt and an old looking pair of black jogging bottoms that had a big rip in the shin. Kurt leaned against the door frame, slowly raising an eyebrow as Blaine glanced up, his iPod in his hands.

"Really, Blaine? Really? I was expecting silk, at the _very_ least," he smirked, going over to the little dresser and sitting on the stool, opening his second wash-bag and laying out all his toiletries. Blaine laughed softly, heading for the bathroom.

"Says the princess who just took a half hour shower," he teased, closing the door as Kurt laughed and unscrewed a lid on a little pink tub, starting to massage the contents into his skin. When Blaine came out ten minutes later, once again dressed in his pyjamas but fresh from a shower, Kurt's face was a neon shade of green thanks to the face mask. He turned his head to look at Blaine and froze, the same time Blaine froze to blink at Kurt's new... Greenness.

"... Your hair's... Curly..." Kurt murmured, eyes widening a little.

"Huh...? Uh, oh... Yeah..." Blaine laughed, lifting a hand self consciously to touch the mass damp curls winding their way around his ears and nape. Kurt swallowed, mouth suddenly dry as a drop of water trailed its way down Blaine's neck, swept away when the boy threw a towel over his head, scrubbing his hair dry. "I gel it in the mornings," he smiled. "It looks neater."

"You suit it more when it's like that," Kurt breathed, his voice a little higher than usual as he quickly turned back to his mirror, so glad his blush was hidden beneath the mask.

"Thanks," Blaine laughed, going over to the bed and sitting down as he neatly folded the towel and draped it over the radiator to dry, alongside Kurt's. "Well, maybe I won't gel it tomorrow, then."

"I think that's the best idea you've had all night," Kurt smiled, managing to recover a bit of his grace as he picked up his nail file and started to tidy the edges of his perfect fingertips. Blaine collapsed down onto his bed, stifling a yawn before climbing under the covers and putting his hands behind his head, watching Kurt fuss over all his bottles and products. Blaine was half asleep when Kurt finally peeled off the mask and turned off the little lamp there, leaving his things out for the morning as he gave his hair one last brush and went over to the bed. He hesitated for a split second, reaching over and turning off the switch. The lights of New York illuminated the room with soft yellows, reds and blues, each flickering, moving colour mesmerizing and breathtaking. Kurt slowly sat down on the bed and climbed in too, laying down before he glanced over to Blaine and crooked a little smile.

"... I've never shared a bed with anyone who's not my immediate family..." he admitted softly, watching a red slant of light flit over Blaine's forehead.

"... Wanna know a secret...? Me neither," Blaine whispered back, their gazes locking across the pillow and the small gap between them. Kurt's laugh was barely an amused breath, his face oddly cast in shadow as the window was to his back.

There was a sudden influx of tension, both the boys going silent as they stared at each other, neither moving nor saying a word. A loud thump and a burst of muffled laughter from opposite them broke the tension like ice, Blaine and Kurt giggling as the fuzzy noise of Wes cursing and David laughing heartily at Wes' misfortune. Kurt smiled softly and closed his eyes.

"... Goodnight, Blaine..."

"Goodnight, Kurt..." came the murmured reply, the room going quiet again as they both – slowly – fell asleep with twin smiles on their faces.

The next morning, Kurt woke up feeling oddly... Warm. Warm and... He shifted, eyes still closed as he snuggled into the warm that was mainly behind him, but also... Around him...? That was odd. Nice, but odd. Kurt shifted again, sighing out softly. Suddenly the warm around him tightened, and his eyes shot open. The sunlight blinded him for a moment and he winced, clamping his eyes shut with a soft hiss of pain. Something warm nudged his neck, a breath shivering over his nape. He realized with a thump of his heart that _that_ was Blaine's nose, pressed almost behind his ear, and _that _was Blaine's chest melded against his back, and _those _were Blaine's arms wrapped around his stomach, and _those _were Blaine's fingers entwined with his.

Oh.

Oh dear.

He and Blaine were... Spooning. And – by the rhythmic breaths washing over his neck – Blaine was still asleep. Which left him with two options. He could keep his eyes closed and just bask in the warmth and the wonderfulness of this moment, or he could try to wriggle away and save them the embarrassment and awkwardness that would arise the second Blaine woke up.

… But Blaine's arms were surprisingly – pleasingly – toned around him, his cheek warm and with the hint of stubble against the back of his neck, his fingers tender and slotting so _rightly _between Kurt's... It couldn't hurt to spend a little more time here, like this, right...? … Right...? Not a lot of lovely, perfect things like this happened to Kurt, so... He was allowed to indulge in them when-...

"... Kurt...?"

… Shit. He felt Blaine shift a little behind him, his fingers flexing and his swallow audible over the silence of the room.

"... Kurt... I know you're awake... Um..." It was probably because he was as rigid as a plank of wood in Blaine's arms, and on the verge of trembling. Kurt swallowed too and – though he regretted it almost instantly – slowly let go of Blaine's fingers.

"... Um..." was all he could think to say as Blaine slowly took his arms back, disentangling their legs and finally drawing his head back from Kurt's. Though it was probably a bad idea, he shifted around to face Blaine.

It was a bad idea.

Blaine was leaning on one hand to keep himself upright, his arm straight and the muscles flexed to just the right degree, his body almost leaning over Kurt's as the New York sunshine shimmered across him. His hair was curly and tousled, framing his face perfectly as he licked his lips, his hazel eyes glittering in the light.

Not even all the men combined that featured in the magazines April had slipped him could hold a candle to Blaine's sheer handsomeness.

"... Kurt, I-" He was interrupted by a sudden loud banging on the door, Wes' voice carrying through. "Rise and shine! Up and at them! Go go go! Breakfast is in fifteen! If you sleep in, you won't get any, and David will come through and clash metal things together!"

"We're awake...!" Blaine called back, looking over his shoulder to the door and flushing a little. Kurt sat up quickly, sliding out of bed and brushing himself down, disappearing into the bathroom before Blaine could call him back. He closed the bathroom door behind him, leaning against it and closing his eyes to suck in a few deep, calming breaths. After a moment he'd regained his composure and moved away from the door, going about his daily routine.

Blaine slowly slumped down on the bed, his forearm covering his eyes as he silently mouthed a curse under his breath. When Kurt came out of the bathroom ten minutes later, the bed was made and Blaine was picking out his clothes for the day. He turned his head and shot Kurt a warm, soft smile.

"Good morning."

Kurt exhaled softly and smiled back, sitting at the dressing table and grabbing a few bottles and tubs. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" He asked, his tone perfectly polite and civil, as if they hadn't woken up a tangled mess of limbs in each others arms.

"I did, thanks. Did you?" Blaine paused by the bathroom door to hear his answer, still smiling at him in that charming manner that made Kurt's toes curl happily.

"I did, I did," he laughed, voice soft and breathy as Blaine nodded and went into the bathroom with one last beam. As soon as the door closed Kurt slowly let his head thunk down onto the tabletop in front of him, eyes closed.

He was completely, utterly, undeniably in love with him. And, at the moment where it looked like Blaine was going to say something... He'd bolted. That moment was gone. Ruined.

"... _Damn it_..." he whispered to the smooth wood beneath his forehead, finally pulling back with a sigh as he opened a tub and started to rub the moisturiser into his skin. The door reopened, Blaine coming out with his hands in his pockets and that easy, gentle grin on his face.

"Not more face masks...! We've got to be downstairs in 10, or David's coming in with the cymbals," he laughed. Kurt shot him a small smirk, brushing his hair with his fine toothed comb.

"You'll be pleased to hear that the face mask is a special treat _only _for the evenings, Blaine, and one day you will come to realize their magic."

"That'll be the day I manage to get you to understand the offside rule in soccer," Blaine grinned, winking as he sat back on their bed. Kurt stood with another soft giggle, going to the wardrobe and opening it, choosing his outfit carefully so as it didn't clash with Blaine's.

"That will be a miraculous day indeed, Blaine," he shot back, smirking over his shoulder before taking his clothes into the bathroom to change, coming out just as the bedroom door opened, David standing there with two cymbals in hand.

"Oh, you two are up," he grinned as both Blaine and Kurt blinked at him.

"Uh, yeah... Thanks for the vote of confidence though," Blaine laughed, standing and stretching.

"You might also want to think about knocking before bursting into people's rooms," Kurt said with a small frown, giving his hair one last brush and grabbing his bag.

"Why?" David asked, his smile turning into a smirk. "Was I about to walk in on something~?"

""-No!""

… Blaine and Kurt flushed, looking to each other in the awkward silence that followed their outbursts. The silence stretched. And stretched. And-

-CLASH!

David brought his cymbals together, Kurt and Blaine almost leaping out of their skins as they looked to the laughing boy in shock. "Let's go to breakfast before it gets so awkward here I have to start gnawing off my leg to cope."

Blaine crooked a grin and nodded, hurrying out after David as Kurt did the same. Breakfast was a short affair, most of the boys half asleep as David and Wes ushered them out and towards their theatre to practice, spending a few moments talking to the floor manager, an hour to do sound-check and make sure the acoustics were working properly. After that, they practised.

And practised.

And practised.

By the time they were done most of the Warblers were feeling the stress, sitting on the stage in grumpy huddles. Blaine's smile was strained, Kurt's non-existent. Wes stood up.

"Well," he said with a tired grin, "that was excellent, guys. With a performance like that, we're sure to win Nationals again...!" he checked his watch with a smile. "So, now you're free until 6PM this evening! We did well yesterday with no little lost lambs, so let's try to do it again today!" There was a collective sigh of relief and agreement as everyone scrabbled to their feet and escaped.

Kurt and Blaine were left in the dust, Kurt checking the time on his phone. "... We've got about half an hour until New Directions are scheduled to arrive to practice..." he murmured, glancing over to Blaine with a small smile.

"Good..." Blaine said with a small laugh, making his way over to the piano and sitting on the stool, patting it as he looked back to Kurt with his soft, charming beam. Kurt slid his phone back in his pocket and went over, sitting down beside Blaine as he lifted the piano's lid and let his fingers brush the keys.

"... Piano's a bit beyond me..." Blaine smiled. "... I'm much more of a guitar man... I only know bits and bobs of tunes..." he picked out the riff to Baby It's Cold Outside again, Kurt grinning fondly at the memory as he nodded.

"Well, I can't pluck a single note on a guitar, so..." He slowly started to play, the tinkling of notes echoing through the hall as Blaine's knee gently pressed against Kurt's. The air was warm, dust motes swirling around them and the red velvet of the curtains glowing in the streams of sunlight illuminating the room. His fingers turned, idly picking out a slow tune as Blaine slowly smiled.

"Hey... I know this..."

"... It's from Oliver and Company... One of my favourite childhood musicals..." Kurt smiled, glancing up to him through his eyelashes. He changed chord, brought the song back in, and started from the beginning as Blaine looked at him too, their gazes locking. Blaine crooked a devastatingly handsome smile and started to sing.

"_You and me together, we'll be..."_

Kurt laughed softly, blushing as he licked his lips and joined in, voice soft as his fingers flicked over the keys.

"_Forever... You'll see... We two can be good company..."_

"_You and me... Yes together, we two..."_

Kurt bit back a grin as Blaine's fingers gently pressed keys with him, mirroring the base notes of the chords along with Kurt as the slender, fey boy lead the tune, gently nudging Blaine with his elbow.

"_Together... That's you..."_

Blaine beamed back, gently knocking their knees together.

"_Forever with me... We'll always be..."_

"_Good company... You and me..."_

"_Yes, together we'll be..."_

"_You and me... Together we'll be..."_

"_Forever... You'll see..."_

""_We'll always be... Good company... You and me... Just wait... And...""_

Their fingers brushed over the last chord, the soft, sweet notes hanging in the air as their voices melded together in perfect harmony.

""_... See...""_

The tender note died, the two left in silence with their gazes locked, fingers and knees touching, their breath synced and the echo of the music still trembling through the dust. Blaine licked his lips, Kurt's eyes following every sweep of his tongue. His own lips parted a little, and just as their gazes met...

… The doors burst open and New Directions poured in. Mercedes beamed when she saw them, calling out.

"Kurt! Blaine! Whaddup, yo!" she laughed as Blaine and Kurt sprang away from each other, both smiling nervously and blushing, brushing down their clothes and cursing mentally. Blaine grinned and stepped forwards, immediately his charming self.

"Mercedes...! You're all early," he laughed as they all clambered up on stage, Puck and Finn heaving up Artie's chair and nodding to Blaine. Mr. Schue rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle.

"I, uh, misread the clocks and got everyone up an hour early. We saw some of the Dalton boys wandering around, so we reckoned you were done here."

"We are," Blaine smiled, looking to Kurt who was standing there with his arms crossed, trying not to look like something potentially life-changing had just been interrupted. "We were just leaving, but we'll see you again at dinner...! Thank you again for inviting us, Mr. Schuester," Blaine said with a winning beam.

"Oh, wait...! Kurt...!" Finn went over to him as Kurt blinked up at him. "Here. For a hat, because if I try to buy you one, it'll be wrong."

Kurt looked down and, after a second, took the $20 from Finn's hand with a nod. "Thank you, Finn. We're now even for the shoe disaster."

"Good. See you," Finn said, crooking his lopsided grin as Kurt tucked the money in his wallet and followed Blaine down from the stage and out with a few more goodbyes. The door shut behind them and, with a small smirk, Santana turned to the group.

"Does anyone else get the feeling we totally just walked in on them?"

Finn looked to the door in mild shock. "R-... Really...? You think...? I mean... Really...?"

"Blaine _is_ gay, Finn. Believe me, I tested it in the changing rooms and that boy is as bent as they come."

"And you think he's digging on Kurt...?" Puck said, looking at her as if they were discussing alien life-forms.

"Oh _please_, Puckerman, those two are sweeter on each other than sparkly, rainbow unicorns," Mercedes smirked, hands on her hips as several of the members laughed, looking around the impressive stage.

"Yeah, but... Do you think they've... You know," asked Finn, shifting awkwardly.

"Hell no," Mercedes laughed. "Believe me, if there had been a development, Kurt would have texted me."

"Are you sure about that...?" Rachel murmured. "I mean, he didn't tell any of us about how bad the bullying got with Karofsky, or that he was transferring to Dalton..." Mercedes bit her lip and frowned, suddenly a little doubtful at the truth in Rachel's words.

"Yeah, but... I mean, Kurt would tell me if he'd got a _boyfriend_..."

"... You think those two are banging...?" Puck said, wrinkling his nose a little bit as he tried not to picture it. Just because he was fine with them being... Like that... Didn't mean he wanted mental images. How did two dudes even do it anyway...!

"All I'm saying," Santana smirked, holding up her hands, "is that we walked in on a room that _reeked_ of sexual tension, and believe me, I know my sexual tension."

It was at that moment Mr. Schue clapped his hands, coming back from the floor manager. "Alright everyone! Let's do a quick sound-check, and then run through our songs!" There were whoops from the group as everyone got into position, the issue of Kurt and Blaine forgotten for the moment.

It was a good few hours later when Mr. Schue, applauding their efforts with a huge beam, started handing out sheet music to them all. "I know this isn't on our setlist, and I know we haven't done this one for a while, but I think we all need to have a little pick-me-up. A little self-confidence! Sure, the Warblers are amazing and now they have Kurt, and sure, we're going to be playing to a huge audience-,"

"Not helping, Mr. Schue," Artie dead-panned, taking his music.

"-_But _we're amazing too, guys. And we've come so far! Literally _and _metaphorically. So, let's sing this last song, and then go get some lunch," he grinned, nodding to the band and hopping off the stage as the iconic drum beat started up, Puck and Finn stepping forwards with all the swagger they could muster.

"_Buddy you're a boy make a big noise playin' in the street gonna be a big man someday! You got mud on your face, you big disgrace, kicking your can all over the place!"_

They stepped back, everyone clapping in time as the girls took the main strength of the chorus, the boys strutting around as if they owned the place, Mike busting out some of his finer moves as they all sang.

"_We will, we will rock you! We will, we will rock you!"_

Artie rolled himself forwards, one hand raised to accent each word as the guys danced around him.

"_Buddy you're a young man, hard man, shouting in the street gonna take on the world some day! You got blood on your face, you big disgrace, waving your banner all over the place!"_

The girls shimmied forwards this time, the boys fading back.

"_We will, we will rock you! Sing it now, we will, we will rock you!"_

Sam and Mike strode forwards, Sam taking the main vocals and Mike dancing, flipping and spinning and generally owning the stage.

"_Buddy you're an old man, poor man, pleading with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day, you got mud on your face, you big disgrace, somebody better put you back in your place!"_

And then everyone was moving, dancing and weaving in between each other like a seamless sea of bodies, Artie's wheelchair perfectly integrated.

"_We will, we will rock you! Singing, we will, we will rock you! We will, we will rock you! We will, we will rock you!"_

Everyone stepped forwards, stamping down their foot as Artie raised both arms.

"_ALRIGHT!"_

They broke off into laugher, Mr. Schue grinning as he applauded them, turning to the empty seats and taking a sweeping bow.

"Thank you, New York, and good night!" He turned back to his group, holding out his arms. "What can I say, guys...? I think we have a real, serious shot at winning this competition."

Rachel beamed, clapping her hands together as everyone left the stage. "Even though everyone's tired and probably hungry, I'd like to take this time to say a few wo-"

"- Berry, get your hobbit ass moving," Santana drawled, giving her a little shove. "You can give your speech to Finn later, but right now we're going for lunch."

"But, I feel like I should...!"

Finn gently touched her shoulder. "Let's go, Rachel. I'm really hungry." She sighed, defeated, and followed the rest of them out, leaving the theatre in warm, sunlit silence.

"Blaine. I am having a crisis and your insistence on wearing an _orange _shirt is not helping me in the slightest!" Kurt snapped. "_Please_ stop asking me if I'm ready to go yet!"

Blaine groaned lightly, his head in his arms and his upper body half slumped over the dresser table. "Kurt, you've been getting ready since _4:30_. It's now _7:30_ and if we don't go soon we're going to be late...! Not to mention it took ages for Wes and David to agree to let us go, _and _now I owe them both a terrifying amount of chocolate...!" He looked up, a sort of desperation in his eyes. "Will you _please _choose an outfit?"

"How can I...! Nothing works well with each other _and _you!"

"If I change my shirt, will you be happy...?"

Kurt hid a victorious smirk behind his hand as he turned a little from Blaine, fussing over one of many shirts laying on the bed. "I will be so happy, I might just cry."

Blaine couldn't stop the laugh even as he dragged himself to his feet and went to the wardrobe, reaching for another shirt.

"The white one," Kurt said quickly. Blaine let go of the green one and obediently took the white one. Being told what to wear was a small price to pay if it meant they could go. Blaine was, as he proved often, incredibly fashion aware, but Kurt was just... _Scary_. Not that it made him like Kurt any less, he mused as he undid his orange shirt and carefully hung it up, sliding on the white one. In fact, it just... Made him like him all the more. He turned to Kurt with a small smile.

"Better?"

"Infinitely," Kurt grinned, scooping up an outfit and moving to walk past Blaine to the bathroom. Blaine reached out, gently gripping his arm.

"... Kurt... Do you remember when I told you that... You should try to fit in a little more and tone yourself down...?"

… Kurt blinked, his smile slipping as he slowly nodded. "... Yes...?"

"Well, I regret it," Blaine murmured, squeezing Kurt's arm. "Don't change anything about yourself. Not even the taking three hours to get dressed side of you," he smiled, watching as Kurt slowly blushed, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "You're perfect the way you are."

"... Thank you..." Kurt breathed, voice a little higher than usual as Blaine winked, letting go.

"Now go and get dressed, or we're going to be late."

Kurt nodded and hurried to the bathroom, appearing ten minutes later. His own shirt was black with a white, slim tie and white jeans that could easily have been painted onto his skin, his beloved little black boots on and his new hat – courtesy of Finn – sitting at a jaunty angle on his impeccable hair.

"Well?" He smirked, striking a little post and grabbing his white coat. Blaine could only nod, noting that Kurt had manoeuvred them into subtly matching outfits once more, and was grinning like the cat that had got the cream.

"Good," he murmured, a little belatedly before laughing and running his fingers though his hair Kurt had insisted wasn't gelled into place. "Now, let's go," he grinned, holding out his arm for Kurt to take and opening the door for him. Soon they were walking down the evening streets of New York, arm in arm, and heading for 80 Berry Street.

"$10 says Rachel was the one who chose this restaurant," Kurt smirked, turning the corner onto said street as Blaine laughed softly, the restaurant quickly coming into view.

"I'm not foolish enough to throw away $10 like that. Besides, we're already late because of you, so I think you owe me the $10," Blaine grinned, nudging Kurt in the ribs as they walked up to the entrance, Kurt giggling and shaking his head softly.

"Look...!" Santana grinned, pointing out the window from where New Directions were already seated, looking down onto the street below. "They _have_ to be dating. They're practically holding hands...!"

"Santana," Mr. Schue said warningly, "let's not embarrass them, alright? It's none of our business whether or not they're dating."

"It totally is," Santana grinned, sipping her water as Brittany nodded along.

"Well, just don't piss him off," Finn said, shifting in his seat and watching as Blaine opened the door for Kurt, them both going in and disappearing from sight. "He's scary when he's mad. And his dad'll get pissed off at me."

They all laughed and, a moment later, a waiter was showing Blaine and Kurt in with a small smile. Mr. Schue stood, grinning. "Hey...! Glad you two could make it! We were starting to get worried."

Kurt and Blaine laughed, sitting in the seats left for them between Mercedes and Puck; taking off their coats and draping them over the back of their chairs almost in sync.

"We're sorry about that, Kurt had a three hour wardrobe malfunction," Blaine explained, beaming at the group.

"In my defence," Kurt said, crossing his arms and looking pointedly to Blaine, "he wanted to wear an orange shirt." There were a few seconds of silence as everyone – except Blaine – looked at Kurt with a blank expression. Kurt blinked. "... Orange," he repeated. "He wanted to wear an _orange _shirt. My shoes have red laces, and-"

"-It's a fashion thing," Blaine said with a small laugh as everyone continued to stare incomprehensibly at Kurt.

"_Oh_," Finn said, slumping in his seat and nodding. "No, he does that all the time. You get used to it."

"... I _am_ sitting right here, Finn," Kurt pointed out with an icy glare as he poured him and Blaine some water. Mr. Schue quickly handed them menus, his movement swiftly bringing conversation back to the table as everyone's attention was diverted. "I'm just glad you two could make it. How did your rehearsal go?"

"Thank you, Mr. Schue. It went well," Kurt nodded, flicking open the menu as he crossed his legs. "And yours...?"

"It went really well too," he smiled, sitting back in his chair a little. They were all soon ordering, the atmosphere around them warm and friendly, everyone smiling and laughing and having a good time as the food was brought to them.

It was when Blaine cut off a neat square of his Italian style chicken and slid it onto Kurt's plate to try as Kurt cut off a neat square of his spinach and ricotta ravioli for Blaine to try with twin, tender smiles that Puck – noting that Mr. Schue had gone to the bathroom – asked The Question.

"So... Are you two, like... Dating?"

Kurt choked on his mouthful, looking to Puck with wide, horrified eyes as Blaine flushed instantly, clearing his throat.

"Uh-"

"We-"

"That's, u-"

"I me-"

… They both went silent and shifted in their seats, looking anywhere but at each other before Blaine regained his composure.

"No, no... We're, um, we're not dating," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as Kurt downed his water, trying to stop himself from blushing.

"_Damn_!" Santana groaned, flicking out her wallet and handing over $10 to Mercedes, who took it with a grin.

"Seriously?" Puck asked. "'Cause like, we all thought you two were."

"_Terribly _sorry to disappoint," Kurt shot at him acidly and with a small glare, his cheeks still burning as Blaine laughed awkwardly, not sure what to say.

"Um... _Why_ aren't you?" Sam asked, sitting forwards a bit. "I mean, you two are so... So..." he waved a hand, words failing him.

"You're so you two," Finn said, helpfully. Blaine and Kurt stared at them, the embarrassment mounting in their eyes.

"I mean...!" Finn looked back to Sam for help. "You two are so alike, and you're both... Both..." There was a long, awkward pause before Finn decided _not _to say gay. "... Single."

"And gay," Puck added. Helpfully.

"... Thank you, Captain Obvious," Kurt gritted out, "I hadn't quite worked that last bit out, but now it all seems so clear."

"Hey," Mercedes said, lifting her hands. "They can be gay and single and just be friends, alright? Back off them, Puckerman."

"Word," nodded Artie, cringing enough for both Blaine and Kurt combined.

"I was just asking...! Jeez," Puck said, but he cracked a grin at Blaine and Kurt. "... We cool? No hard feelings, right?"

"... Right..." Blaine smiled, a little shakily as he finally looked to the still mortified Kurt.

"In your dreams," Kurt mumbled back, glaring at Puck again.

"Hey, come on! I was just asking! It's not that bad, right? We all thought Sam was gay."

"What?" Sam gaped, almost dropping his fork. "Why? Did _you_?" He asked, looking to Blaine, who laughed a little and, after a second, nodded. Sam groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "Oh my god... Why does everyone always think I'm gay...?"

"It's your mouth, dude. It's your mouth," Puck said wisely, crossing his arms and nodding. Quinn sighed, gently taking Sam's hand as the blonde pouted, picking at his food.

"I can't help it if my mouth looks gay..." he muttered. Mr. Schue sat back down and looked around the table, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"... What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Kurt said, before anyone else could butt in. "Puck choked on his food." Puck grinned, hitting his chest with his fist as Mr. Schue nodded slowly and sipped his water.

"Alright, well-," his phone suddenly went off, playing a cheery Journey mash-up. "Excuse me," he said, sliding it out of his pocket as everyone started talking again, Kurt finally trying the chicken and Blaine the ravioli. Mr. Schue frowned as a message popped up.

"... Terri..." he whispered to himself, pressing the button to open it.

'youll see, will... youll be mine again... you dont know how much i love you...'

… What the... Mr. Schue frowned at it, a small noise of frustration slipping past his lips as he deleted the message and put his phone back in his pocket. The last thing he needed was Terri messing with his mind before Nationals. She was probably drunk and at her sisters.

"Mr. Schue...?" Rachel asked, touching his arm. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Rachel," he smiled, picking up his cutlery. "Wrong number text," he laughed, glad when she was instantly pacified and turned back to talking to Tina. Soon dinner was over and, due to some people getting up to go to bathrooms or to get more – non-alcoholic – drinks from the bar, Kurt found himself sitting next to Finn, Blaine swept up in another sporting discussion with Sam and Puck.

"How are things at home...?" Kurt asked in a low, soft voice, sipping his water as Finn nodded, finishing off his icecream.

"Good, I guess. To be honest, it's a bit weird without you. Your dad keeps forgetting you're not there and shouting at you to come up for dinner," he chuckled. Kurt laughed softly too and nodded, turning the glass in his hands.

"... Is he eating healthily...?"

"Oh, yeah. My mom's making sure we're following your recipe book thing and she makes him lunch and won't let him work too much," he grinned.

"Good, that's... That's good," Kurt murmured. They sat in silence for a moment before Finn spoke up.

"... Do you miss it...? Being at home, I mean..."

"... Of course I do... But Karofsky, and-... I can't go back to McKinley... I just... I can't go through that again..." Kurt murmured, putting his glass down with a small clink.

"... And you've got Blaine now, right...?" Finn said, glancing over to the boy who was making Puck split his sides laughing with some football story. Kurt flushed softly, picking up his glass again and looking to Blaine too.

"... I already said, we're not dating," he murmured.

"That's not really the point, though... Don't get me wrong, Kurt, I'm happy for you," Finn said softly as he crooked his little half-grin. "Blaine's a really cool dude, and... Well, to be honest, you deserve a break." Kurt snorted gently and sipped his water.

"Understatement of the century... But... Thanks, Finn. That means a lot to me," he smiled, glancing up at his former crush, current half-brother. Finn nodded back, drinking from his own glass.

"And Dalton is like... More smart. Though I don't know why you'd complain that a lesson was too easy," he grinned. "... But... Isn't it weird there...?"

"Weird how...?" Asked Kurt, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean... You're all in uniform, and you all sing together... I mean, no-one takes the solos or anything... And Rachel told me about the audition and stuff, and... I don't know... It doesn't seem like it's... _You_."

Kurt blinked at him, glass forgotten in his hands. "... Well, I-..."

"... What I'm trying to say," Finn said, pulling an awkward expression as his grasp of self-expression slid from him, "is that... It looks like that school has taken everything that makes you you and stopped it. Like, your clothes and your solos and... I don't know, it just... You're too different. In a good way," he added quickly, biting his lip as Kurt slowly turned the glass in his hands, eyes fixed on it.

"... Finn... Dalton is... It's amazing... Everyone's nice, the lessons are challenging and you're right, Blaine's there... Not to mention how much money my dad and Carole have put into me going there... I _can't_ go back to McKinley's, not with Karofsky there..."

There was a short silence between them before Finn reached forwards and gently squeezed Kurt's upper arm.

"Just... Don't let them stop you from being you, okay?" Kurt looked up to Finn with a small smile on his face, nodding.

"I won't. I promise." Kurt said with a small crook of his lips as Finn grinned, a little relieved.

"Good."

"Hey," Blaine said gently, coming over with his coat over his arm. "I'm sorry to be a party-pooper, but we've got to go, Kurt."

"Oh, of course," Kurt nodded, standing and plucking up his own coat. "Just let me get some money out to pay..."

"I've already paid for us," Blaine said with a charming smile, sliding his own coat on.

"What...? Blaine, but...!" he flustered, looking over to Mr. Schue who was handing the bill back to the waiter.

"Too late~" he grinned, gently touching Kurt's arm and handing him his hat. Kurt shook his head and put his hat on, adjusting it automatically.

"Well... Thank you," he said softly with a small flush before turning to Mercedes to hug her. They soon said their goodbyes, waving as they left the restaurant and waving again up at them from the street, arms once again in arms as they walked briskly back the way they came.

Mr. Schue frowned softly, watching as a man who'd been loitering for quite a while by an all-night mini-mart stood up straight and fell into step around five meters behind the duo. He shook his head and turned from the window, looking over his group as they gathered their things to leave too.

"Mercedes, text Kurt in a few to make sure they got back okay, please?"

"Got it, Mr. Schue," she smiled, tugging on her coat.

It was probably nothing, he reasoned, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

A/N: Wow. To those of you who sat through this whole TL;DR thing... Just... Wow. I applaud you, seriously. Thank you so, so much for reading and I really hope you all enjoyed it!


	2. Missing part a

A/N: Wow. I can't believe the amount of support I've gotten so far, I didn't expect it at all...! I just want to say thanks to my lovely beta _callmeblaine_! I couldn't do it without you! Also, because I tend to write such big chapters, they'll now be split into two parts, part A and part B! It should make for easier reading! I'll also include the youtube links to the three songs, in case you want to listen along!

.com/watch?v=tXmLRHnoSAs – Kiss The Girl – The Little Mermaid.

.com/watch?v=dzY0-I4Gq5w – Pack Up – Eliza Doolittle

.com/watch?v=UBoQvhzeeCY – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship

Also, I'd like to add some warnings for bad language later on, and dark themes. You have been warned, and because of them, the rating has been bumped up to M.

Xxx xxx xxx

Kurt flopped down on their bed as his phone buzzed in his pocket, the boy heaving a sigh as he rolled slightly to the left in order to dig the object out of his jeans and check the message.

'hey babez, just checkin u and blaine got back ok? x x x'

Kurt cracked a small grin as he typed a reply, hearing the sounds of the shower coming from the bathroom.

'Yes, we did thanks. Did you? x x x'

'yea course. we came up with ur name when u get 2gether with blaine, btw ;) x x x'

Kurt flushed softly, sitting to toe off his shoes and then moving to line them up before replying.

'Oh? What is it? x x x'

'klaine! finn wanted blurt lol :) but we went with klaine x x x'

'Blurt is almost as bad as Drizzle. Long live Klaine x x x'

… Klaine... He glanced over to the door again as he heard the squeak of the taps and the soft hiss as the water stopped, the two little thumps of feet on the tile as Blaine stepped out of the shower. He certainly couldn't deny his own feelings towards Blaine... And... Earlier that morning, he was sure Blaine was going to say something... And then again when they'd sung...

It seemed like every time Blaine was going to bring up _that _topic of conversation, someone interrupted them to the point of no return, utterly ruining the mood. He was sure that at some time in the future they would curl up in each others arms and reminisce about these awkward, blundering moments in their matching sweaters on their fashionable sofa, over looking the theatre where their names glittered with only half the star power they exuded, simply because they were so much more fabulous than any sign.

But until then, Kurt grumbled mentally, going over to the (his) dresser, they had to make do with being bumbling and awkward and frustrated. Though never frustrated with each other, he mused as he brushed his hair and stood to hang up his jacket and shirt, folding his tie, too. He really had to buy a little thank you present for Wes and David for letting them sneak out... Perhaps matching friendship bracelets, he smirked. No... It would be better to buy them something like artful posters of New York to hang on their dorm walls... Blaine had dealt with the chocolate side of things, and he would be more gracious when he tutored David through his French. It would work out in the end.

The bathroom door opened, Kurt idly looking over and freezing in his tracks, fingers clutching far too hard on the delicate material of one of his shirts, his breath freezing in his lungs because... Because oh dear god...

Blaine was standing there with nothing on but a towel and a sheepish grin. "I forgot my pyjamas," he said, gesturing to the neatly folded pile on the chair beside Kurt, who was doing a rather admirable goldfish impression.

"O-... Oh, oh, right, um..." he grabbed them immediately, handing them out to Blaine with a breathless, almost hysterical giggle as he tried to keep his eyes on Blaine's face, and not his... Oh god, he was so perfectly toned from playing sport, dark hair swirling lazy patterns in a way Kurt always thought he would have found off-putting but instead found absolutely wonderful, the best thing since spandex and sequins and-

"-Kurt...? Are you okay...?"

"Yes," Kurt gasped, his eyes snapping up to Blaine's before he hastily scrabbled for his own pyjamas and headed for the bathroom at what could only be described as a panicked skip. Blaine stared after him, blinking as the door closed with a sharp snap.

"... Okay...?" He murmured, shifting his towel and sitting on the edge of the bed as he dried himself off a little more and pulled on his pyjamas. He knew that Kurt had... Certain _issues _with showering. The showers at Dalton were semi communal, in that they had high walls and a completely opaque shower curtain, despite being six to twelve in a row, but still Kurt would either wait until they were empty or get up before anyone else was awake to shower. Blaine bit his lip, looking worriedly to the door and hoping that he hadn't upset Kurt somehow... Perhaps he'd triggered something... A past trauma from his bullied days at McKinley... Shit...

Kurt pressed his forehead against the cool tiles of the bathroom wall, taking slow, deep breaths through his nose as he tried to force the images of shirtless, toned, wet, delicious-... As he tried to force the images of delectable expanses of skin, dark hair that made his toes curl into the-... As he tried to force the images of flexing muscles in every movement, strong but subtle, arms that felt so good around him-...

… Kurt slowly let his head thunk against the wall.

There was a reason he didn't go near the showers when there were other boys in them. When _Blaine _was in them. Damn it, he was a normal, teenage, healthy, gay boy with _hormones_. Incredibly repressed, suppressed hormones that were now driving him up the wall. He'd grown up as an only child, he'd been made an outcast for his sexuality for as long as he could really remember, and he was most certainly _not _used to seeing other boys in various states of undress.

Well, not real ones. Not ones that stood right in front of you and held you close to them while you slept and who sang beautiful duets with you and who went shopping with you and-...

… Kurt slowly let his head thunk against the wall again, reaching out his hand and flicking the shower's water to cold.

There was a reason Kurt showered alone. Shyness was easier to explain than constant cold showers.

He came out a while later in his pyjamas, letting the door slowly close behind him. Blaine sat up almost immediately, guilt clear in his eyes as he stood and strode over to Kurt who'd frozen like a rabbit in the headlights.

"... Kurt..." Blaine murmured, gently putting his hands on Kurt's shoulders. "... Are you okay...? I'm really worried I upset you..."

Kurt blinked at him before feeling the heat slowly rise to his cheeks. "Oh, no... No, Blaine, I promise, you didn't upset me. I just... Got a fright," he smiled. "That's all. I didn't hear you come in and, as you know, I don't deal with surprises very well," Kurt murmured, lifting a hand to gently squeeze Blaine's wrist, in no way moving to push him off.

"... Promise...?" Blaine all but whispered, his eyes flicking between Kurt's as the more effeminate boy nodded, swallowing.

"... I promise..." Kurt smiled, licking his lips.

Blaine slowly dropped his hands, his fingers sweeping down Kurt's arms and brushing oh so lightly over the back of his hands. "... Good... Hey, I'm going to go give Wes and David that chocolate while you do your skin routine, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kurt nodded, sitting down and plucking out the necessary bottles and tubs as Blaine grabbed a plastic bag and left the room, closing the door behind him and knocking on the identical one opposite.

"Come in...!"

Blaine grinned a little and opened the door. "Hey, David. I brought you and Wes your blood money," he laughed, closing the door behind him and going over to where David was sitting on a large sofa, a red DS in his hands and the distinct sound of Mario in the air.

"You brought the goods?" Wes said gruffly, swaggering over to them from the bathroom and snatching the bag, opening it and pretending to count the sweets as if they were bills. "They're all there. Let 'im go."

"... Uh... Subtle hint to go away, or role-play getting out of hand?" Blaine laughed as Wes ripped open a bar of chocolate, snapping off squares for them all.

"Would it creep you out if I said they were my chat up lines?"

""Yes,"" the other two chorused, grinning as they took the chocolate and sat back on the couch from where they'd leaned forwards, Wes sinking to sit on the floor. Suddenly he looked around.

"Hey... Where's your Teenage Dream gone, Blaine?"

"Your Soul Sister~" David grinned, nudging Blaine as the shorter boy blushed.

"Your Kurtie-wurt-"

"-Stop it! Both of you...!" he groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "I don't need more teasing from you guys... You wouldn't _believe _how stressful today was been..."

"And so, our brave white knight Blaine once again fails to woo the sweet damsel's- _Ow_! Hey! Kicking is _not _fair...!" Wes gasped, clutching his ribs in a mock death-wound.

"Actually," Blaine said, turning to David, "I should be kicking _you_! You walked in on us this morning with those infernal cymbals...!"

"I _knew _I was interrupting something. You owe me $5, Wes," David grinned, holding out his hand as Wes groaned and paid up.

"And that's the second time today that someone's bet on Kurt and myself," Blaine grumbled as David patted his shoulder and gave him more chocolate.

"Who interrupted you the second time?"

"New Directions... After practice, we were singing and just... Well, they just burst in."

"Were you two doing anything...?"

"No," Blaine sighed, "but it looked like it was about to get somewhere..."

"Believe me, Blaine," Wes said, patting his knee, "_everyone _is going to be relieved when you two get together and stop sprawling over the window-seats, looking poetically up to the heavens and sighing softly in the most grievous and heartfelt manner that has ever been seen before..."

"Or staring into each others eyes with those little angelic smiles and blushes for an eternity, lost in those deep orbs of emotion..."

"We alternate from silently mocking you both for acting like lovesick puppies around each other to feeling so desperate for you we want to slip you both Viagra and lock you in a cupboard. Preferably yours, because Kurt would _kill _you if you made a mess on his clothes."

"True fact there," David grinned, fist-bumping with Wes as Blaine flushed, crossing his arms and doing his best to glare at them.

"I swear to god, if you slip us drugs and lock us in a cupboard, we will find a way to kill you. Especially Kurt."

"... True fact there..." David said, grimly fist-bumping Wes again as Blaine choked back a laugh, shaking his head at their antics.

"Seriously, you two... Not helping."

"Before we continue this riveting conversation," David interrupted, "did you run out of hair gel, Blaine?"

"Uh... No," he blushed, awkwardly touching one of the curls. "... Kurt said it looked better like this..."

""... Awwwhh...~"" they both chorused, grinning as they nudged the flushing boy on the sofa.

"_Seriously _not helping, guys...!"

"Well," Wes smiled, handing him some more chocolate, "all you need to do is go in there and _make _a moment. David and I will stand guard to make sure no-one bursts in."

"I can't just...! No," Blaine frowned, taking the chocolate and nibbling it before speaking. "No, I can't just force a moment. It has to feel... Right. It has to be perfect."

David groaned, opening a box of Celebrations. "You and your damned perfection...! What's not perfect about you two being alone in your room and chatting?"

"There should be music," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"We could serenade you two. We could sing really appropriate songs like... Tutti Frutti Summer Love," laughed Wes.

"I would rather die," Blaine said with a simple smile on his face. David shoved a wrapper into the bin beside them, speaking around a mouthful of chocolate.

"Look, Blaine, it's simple. Both of you two get into bed. Wait around ten minutes. Shift closer. Take his hand. Kurt will turn to you, confused and anticipating. You can sing him a song about how much you love him. Kurt will be happy, you will be happy, everyone will be happy except for people who are mean and homophobic. But we'll take care of them," he grinned, patting Blaine on the shoulder.

"As tempting as your idea sounds," Blaine snorted, standing as he made his way over to the door, "I want there to be a mood beforehand, during, and afterwards. Not a proposition in bed. I don't want him to think I only like him because he's a guy."

Wes and David both groaned as they slumped back.

"Here's to another day of awkward sexual tension...!" David said, throwing Wes a chocolate.

Blaine rolled his eyes, unable to bite back his grin even as he opened the door and stepped out. "Goodnight, you unhelpful idiots," he winked, closing the door behind him and opening the one to his and Kurt's room, going in with a beam.

"Hey..."

"Did it all go alright?" Kurt asked, turning on his chair and his face that frightening green again.

"It went fine," he laughed, closing the door behind him and climbing into bed. "They accepted the candy with open mouths." Kurt laughed softly at the pun, gently rubbing hand cream onto his palms.

"That's good... I was thinking of getting them tasteful, arty New York posters as an extra thank you gift." Blaine smiled softly as he propped himself up on his elbow, laying on his side to watch Kurt.

"I think they'd love that. Especially since Mr. Halls confiscated their rather lewd poster of Angelina Jolie."

"Not _quite _what they'd consider a fair replacement," Kurt smirked, "but something to fill the gap between the racing cars, right?"

"It would bring a little more class to their otherwise painfully male heterosexual corners of the room," Blaine laughed, watching Kurt with a tender expression.

"Are you saying my corner doesn't bring class to the room as a whole? And I'm still desperate to redecorate your corner, Blaine. Mauve is _not _your colour."

"Your corner," Blaine smirked, "looks like something out of a Vogue fashion shoot. In _fact_, I'd say it was styled almost identically to the shoot Lacoste did in the winter issue three years ago. And I like mauve. It's manly." Kurt laughed loudly, looking over his shoulder with an identical smirk.

"Busted~. And mauve is _not _manly, Blaine, even _I _know that. Mauve is the colour of grandmas. You are not a grandma. You need to be in exquisite burgundy. A royal purple. Anything but _mauve_. Or orange," he added with another small snort as he started to peel off the face mask. Blaine grinned hugely, flopping to lay down in what he hoped was a more seductive than dead-arm manner.

"... I'll let you decorate my corner of the room if you come with me to a soccer match."

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he dropped the green mess into the bin beside him and slicked on a last layer of cream. After a moment, he nodded with a small smile. "Alright, Mr. Anderson, you have yourself a deal." Blaine grinned and reached out his hand to Kurt as he turned off the light by the dresser and went over, sitting on the bed beside him.

"Shake on it," Blaine smiled. Kurt snorted gently and took his hand, shaking it as Blaine laughed, though he was secretly wondering how Kurt kept his hands so smooth and dry, despite the fact he'd just slathered cream all over them. The boy was a working miracle. Kurt gently let go and smiled, turning off the light before climbing between the covers and laying down, on his back.

"... Is soccer the one with the black and white ball...?"

"That's the one," Blaine grinned, his voice a tender murmur.

"The one with that infernal offside rule?"

"Bingo~."

"Damn."

Blaine snickered softly in the low light, watching shadows play over Kurt's face as the other boy crooked a sweet smirk, both knowing full well that he was just teasing. "I think I'm going to do your corner in pink... Neon pink, with little white kittens..." Kurt murmured, tapping his chin with his finger.

"Mr. Halls will never allow it..."

"So he shouldn't. It would look absolutely awful."

"Terribly tacky."

"Cringe-worthily crap."

"Devastatingly dreadful."

Kurt turned his head to look at Blaine, eyes opening and a gleam dancing in them. "Enlighten me. Do you have an alliteration fetish?" Blaine laughed softly, winking.

"Perhaps. Probably. Possibly. Problem?"

Kurt laughed too as he snuggled more into his pillow and closed his eyes, drawing up the covers a little. "You should probably see someone for that...~"

"Thanks," Blaine smiled, stifling a yawn. "... Goodnight, Kurt..."

"... Goodnight, Blaine..." It didn't take long for them to fall asleep, silence descending on the peaceful room.

Before Kurt had even opened his eyes he knew that it had happened again. His face was smushed against warm, firm skin, his hands were wrapped around a toned waist and... Yup. His legs were most definitely entangled with another pair. Somehow this was worse than yesterday morning because instead of Blaine being wrapped around his back, they were most definitely face to face and most definitely clinging to each other as if something was trying to rip them apart.

Once more, Kurt was the first awake. If he'd learnt anything from yesterday, he should gently disentangle himself and slide away, perhaps out of bed all together.

… But Blaine's hands had somehow managed to find their way under Kurt's pyjama top, his fingers flush against his lower back and so warm, the touch so novel and so _wanted _that nothing in Kurt's entire being could bring itself to pull away. He cracked open an eye, quickly gauging that his face was pressed to Blaine's neck and shoulder, his t-shirt having slipped just enough so that Kurt's cheek was laying against skin that smelt faintly of soap and something completely organic.

Kurt swallowed softly, his own fingers flexing where they were pressed against Blaine's chest – caught between them and clinging guiltily to his t-shirt – as he flushed upon the realization that his leg was slung casually over Blaine's hip in a way that was in absolutely no way innocent, Blaine's own legs comfortable between Kurt's thighs.

This was going to be a lot more awkward than yesterday morning when Blaine woke up to find Kurt clinging to him like some sort of... Barnacle or limpid or koala bear. The sun was shining brightly into the room and by the sounds of commotion coming from up and down the hall, it was definitely time for them to be getting up. Preferably before David appeared with his cymbals.

He had to be brave. Courage, he thought with a mental snort of irony as he slowly started to slide his leg off Blaine, was what was needed right-

"-_OW!_"

The pain hit him with all the force of a steam train. Just as he'd moved his thigh, leaving his legs embarrassingly wide open for the duration of the slow, careful move, Blaine had shifted in his sleep. And by shifted, Kurt meant jerked.

And by jerked, Kurt meant slammed his knee into his groin with eye-watering force. Kurt shoved Blaine away on instinct, curling up into a ball as he hissed in pain. Blaine yelped as he was screamed at and then shoved, waking up instantly and springing from the bed before clambering back in, over to Kurt. "Kurt...! Are you okay? What happened?" Kurt couldn't reply, burying his face in the pillow as he tried to force slow, deep breaths, Blaine's hands on his shoulders and back as he panicked, still half asleep. After a moment Kurt turned his head to glare at Blaine, eyes glazed with tears.

"... You just..." his voice was higher than normal, "slammed your... Knee into... Me..." he gritted out. Blaine's mouth dropped open as he realized what Kurt had said.

"... Oh my god... Kurt... I-... I'm so sorry...! I'm so, so sorry...!" he gasped, looking utterly distraught as Kurt slowly uncurled himself, the pain slowly ebbing away as he shuddered.

"... _Not _my favourite sort of wake-up," Kurt muttered, still wincing and feeling a little winded. Blaine was kneeling beside Kurt, his hands on the boy's shoulders, one fluttering up to cup his cheek.

"... Kurt, I'm so sorry... I..."

Kurt slowly looked up, flushing a little as he swallowed and crooked a smile, eyes still a little watery. "... Blaine, it's fine... You didn't mean to... You were asleep..."

"... I feel awful..." Blaine whispered, his fingers brushing a strand of wayward hair across Kurt's forehead. Kurt was suddenly aware how close their faces were, the way that Blaine was hovering over them, the duvet kicked almost off the bed and the sheets rumpled.

"... Please don't..." Kurt whispered back, licking his lips on instinct as Blaine seemed to shift a little closer. "... The pain's almost all gone... I promise..."

"... I never want to be the one to cause you pain..." Blaine murmured, his beautiful eyes – so delicately ringed with dark lashes – fixed on Kurt's as the boy beneath him shivered, his breath hitching in his throat at how close they were, how warm Blaine's hand on his cheek was.

"... Blaine..." he breathed out, cheeks tainting pink as Blaine leaned in... And...-

"-Guys! Are you alri-..." David threw the door open and froze as Blaine practically leaped off Kurt like he was on fire, Kurt going neon red as he gasped and looked over to David so fast his neck cricked.

"... Blaine. I am so, so sorry. I mean it, I-"

"-David, go. Please? Just go now?" Blaine said desperately, bright pink as Kurt scrambled off the bed and almost ran into the bathroom, the door closing behind him. Blaine watched him before turning to David with murderous intent in his eyes.

"... I heard him scream, Blaine! I heard him scream!" David winced, holding up his hands in order to try to diffuse the situation. Blaine dropped his head into his palms.

"... I accidentally kneed him..."

"... You kicked him in the-?"

"-David...!"

"Sorry, sorry... Call me old fashioned but... I'm not sure that created the mood you might have been going for, you know," David said, trying not to snicker at Blaine's mortification.

"David, you have three seconds to get out of here before I decide to tell all the Warblers over dinner tonight about the dream you had to do with Maggie Smith. Yes," Blaine added with a glare as David went pale, "_that _dream, David. _That_ dream."

"... Duly noted. Bye bye." David disappeared. Blaine turned to the bathroom door and sighed, making a frustrated noise before opening the wardrobe and grabbing his clothes. Kurt came out of the bathroom a few moments later, still a little pink as he awkwardly moved past Blaine to get his own clothes, unable to meet his eyes as the older boy gently touched his shoulder.

"... Kurt... I... I'm really sorry for kneeing you."

"Oh," Kurt snorted, waving a hand as he finally looked up with a small smile. "It's fine. Honestly. Do you want to use the bathroom?"

"Yeah, please," Blaine said, his own smile a little strained as he squeezed Kurt's shoulder gently before turning and casually going into the small room, trying to clear the awkward tension in the air between them.

Breakfast was still slightly strained, but gradually the friction between them ebbed away into their more natural state of being and it wasn't long at all before they were laughing and joking together again, their smiles genuine and true. After a morning of gentle rehearsal in the hotel's sitting room, Kurt excused himself from the group to meet up with Mercedes and Quinn for one last little wander around the streets of New York City, Blaine regretfully having to decline his offer as he had to stay behind with Wes and David to put the finishing touches on some of their props and costumes.

"Kurt...! Over here," Mercedes grinned, waving Kurt over to the small table she and Quinn were sitting at, the little café chic and trendy. Kurt beamed, sitting down opposite them as Quinn smiled prettily, sipping her tea. It was amazing how close they were and how their friendship over the Cheerios, the baby drama and everything in between had survived so well.

"Ladies," Kurt smiled, crossing his legs. "It's a pleasure, as always."

"You didn't bring Blaine...?" Quinn asked with a raised eyebrow. Kurt flushed a little, idly flipping through the café's menu.

"No, no... He had to stay behind..."

"Come on, Kurt," Mercedes laughed, gently touching Kurt's hand. "Give us the gossip, girlfriend. Are you and Blaine dating or _what_?" Kurt flushed a little more, despite the small smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

"I swear down, Mercedes, Blaine and I are not dating."

"Yet," said Quinn as she sipped her tea again, a playful glint in her eyes. "You do like him, right...?"

"... I do," Kurt admitted, fingers brushing his fringe out the way. "I really, really do..." Mercedes and Quinn beamed at each other, high-fiving as Kurt laughed a little.

"And it's obvious that Blaine feels the same," Quinn smirked.

"So the question is, girlfriend, _why _aren't you dating him yet?" Mercedes finished, pointing her spoon at Kurt.

"Well... I mean, he hasn't said anything yet, and..."

"Bull_shit_," Mercedes laughed, tapping Kurt's knuckles with the spoon. "We totally burst in on something in the theatre yesterday." Kurt flushed more at the memory, gently flicking Mercedes' spoon.

"Yes, well... I mean, we... I don't want to, um..."

"Come on, Kurt," Quinn snorted. "How do you know Blaine's not waiting for you to make the first move...?"

"... It just seems that whenever we're... About to get somewhere," Kurt said carefully, the tips of his ears going pink, "... We get interrupted. It's happened like... Three times now."

"_Three_?" asked Mercedes, eyebrows raised. Kurt fiddled with his sleeve before sighing, resting his chin on the back of his hand.

"Once yesterday morning, once when you all walked in, and once again this morning..." Mercedes and Quinn looked to each other before sighing at the morose look on Kurt's face.

"Kurt... You and Blaine are _made _for each other. Remember when we three went to Breadstix?" Mercedes asked, crooking a little smile as Kurt nodded. "I don't think I'd ever seen you smile or laugh as much as you did then."

"And," Quinn added, "when we were all at dinner last night, what with the sharing food and walking arm in arm... You two are in one of the most romantic cities in the whole of the USA, Kurt. You and Blaine _need _to get together," she smiled.

"Word, girlfriend," Mercedes laughed as Kurt fidgeted with his hat, clearing his throat and sipping his water.

"... I don't know... I mean..."

"Look," Quinn said, leaning forwards. "Call Blaine now. Tell him you've just seen this _darling _little restaurant, and you two should totally go there for a nice little pre-Nationals dinner. _Alone_." Mercedes beamed, nodding along.

"Quinn and I'll hide, but we'll be there to give you moral support, okay?" After a moment Kurt cracked a smile and nodded, laughing a little as he slumped in his seat.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Good," Quinn smirked, finishing her tea as she held out a little square of paper. "We booked you two a table for 6PM. We don't have to be at the theatre until 8, and it's only a 15 minute walk." Kurt gaped, looking between the two of them before he reached out and plucked the paper from her fingers with a small snort, shaking his head.

"... I don't believe you two..."

Mercedes winked, finishing off her milkshake. "Give lover-boy a call, and then we'll go for our retail therapy." Kurt grinned, flicking out his phone and hitting Blaine's number, Quinn rolling her eyes playfully as she noticed Kurt had Blaine on speed-dial.

Blaine jumped slightly as his phone rang, sliding it out of his pocket as Wes and David looked over, the two of them fixing a top hat that had got a little crushed in transit. Blaine's lips crooked into a smile as Kurt's name flashed up, answering right away.

"Hey...! Is everything okay...? Oh...? Oh...!" Blaine went a little pink. "That sounds great...! Shall I meet you outside the hotel, then...? Okay... That really sounds great, Kurt. I can't wait. Mmn! See you then! Bye...!" Blaine waited for Kurt to hang up first before hitting the red button and shoving his phone back into his pocket with a small, giddy smile. Wes and David waited patiently for the next instalment of what they'd dubbed 'Ohio's Two Most Charming, Bumbling Fools Who Want To Get Into Each Others Pants But Only Seem To Be Able To Swoon Pathetically At Each Other'.

"If it's okay, Kurt and I are going to dinner before Nationals tonight... It's a little restaurant called Mi Amo and he's already booked the table..." Blaine said, a hopeful smile on his face. Wes and David looked at each other.

"You can go on one condition," Wes finally said, not bothering to tell Blaine that there was actually nothing stopping him from going as no plans had been set other than for everyone to be at the theatre for 8, or die.

"What condition...?" Blaine asked, immediately suspicious.

"We can come along too, subtly, and make sure you two _finally _get together," Wes grinned.

"What...! No...! That's not okay at all...! You won't be subtle at all and, actually, it's been _your _fault we haven't got together two out of the three moments we've almost had...!"

"Which is _exactly _why we should be in on this plan, so we can't ruin the fourth!" David finished with a grin. Blaine groaned softly, sitting down and running his fingers through his hair as Wes added the finishing blob of glue to the repaired hat.

"... Fine, but you two have to sit far, far away from us."

""Deal!"" They both grinned, Wes offering the box of Celebrations from the night before. Blaine took one, chucking the wrapper in the bin and grabbing a needle and thread along with a jacket that had got a rip in it.

"... I didn't know you knew how to sew," David said, raising an eyebrow as Blaine threaded the needle, going a little pink.

"... Kurt's been teaching me," he mumbled, doing his best to ignore his two best friends as they rolled their eyes.

"We should have guessed, really," Wes chuckled, grabbing some polish and the stack of walking canes. "So now that you two finally have a date together in NYC, what are you going to say to him to seal the deal?" Blaine flushed, shooting him a small glare as he slowly – but surprisingly expertly – darned the hole in the sleeve.

"... I don't know... I'll have to see when the time is right, and it's none of your business."

"Well, seeing as we – and by we I mean David – keep interrupting you, it is our business~. And you can't just leave it to fate like that. You need a plan to follow. Right?" Laughed Wes, starting to polish the canes as David nodded, digging through the sweets to find one he liked.

"Right."

"Seriously guys, you two are the worst agony aunts in the world. Love doesn't work according to a plan," Blaine said haughtily, wincing as he accidentally stabbed himself in the finger. Wes rolled his eyes again, pointing a cane at Blaine.

"Here's what you do, Blaine. Dear, charming, dapper, useless Blaine."

"Hey...!" Blaine interjected, trying his best to send Wes a hurt look. "I'm not useless..." David patted Blaine's arm as Wes continued regardless.

"You have a delightful meal with Kurt. You talk fashion and sewing and unicorns and whatever else you two spend so many hours talking about. You insist on paying for the meal. When Kurt objects, you take his hand. You link your fingers together. You smile in your charming, dapper way and you insist. I guarantee you Kurt will do his rabbit-in-the-headlights impression, he'll go that shade of pink you always go on about, and you'll gently shift closer. You say a pre-prepared line about how Kurt is your sun, your moon, your everything, and then you go for the gold and kiss him."

"And then Wes and I will cheer quietly from afar," David grinned as Wes nodded, Blaine blushing terribly.

"... What if he-"

""-He won't.""

… Blaine groaned, dropping his head onto the jacket. "But what if...!"

"Blaine, seriously, grow a pair," Wes laughed, prodding him with one of the canes. "Kurt is madly in love with you. He's not going to reject you."

"What was it that you always used to text him at McKinley? Courage?" David asked as Blaine nodded.

"It was courage..."

"Then take your own advice, Blaine," David said, giving the slumped boy another chocolate. "Wes and I'll be there if something goes seriously wrong. Which it won't." After a long moment Blaine pushed himself up with a determined nod.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"'Atta boy!" Wes grinned, stealing Blaine's chocolate.


	3. Missing part b

It was exactly 6PM on the dot when Blaine gave Kurt his most charming smile as he pulled out the slightly younger boy's chair for him, waiting until Kurt had sat before sitting himself and taking their menus from the waitress with a murmur of thanks. He handed one to Kurt, letting their fingertips brush and watching as Kurt's cheeks tinged the tiniest bit pink. They were sitting outside in the restaurant's little garden partition, the weather warm and their table secluded, hidden behind a large potted plant. Candles twinkled in front of them, a little vase of sweet smelling roses perfuming the air.

Little did they know that Wes, David, Mercedes and Quinn were sneaking to sit inside, the way their window was angled gave them the perfect view of the two boys while remaining cleverly hidden. The four had met outside, instantly recognized each other, and come together for the common good. Operation Klaine. It was probably a good thing that in the excitement of having a dinner together like this, both had completely forgotten their friends would be there somewhere.

"How did you find this place, Kurt...?" Blaine asked, looking at him with a tender, warm smile as Kurt flushed a little more, flipping slowly through the pages of the menu.

"Oh, we just passed by and I thought it would be perfect," Kurt laughed. "Do you like it...?"

"It's beautiful. Honestly, I had no idea that this sort of tranquil space could even exist in New York. As lovely as the city is, it's nice to get away from the bustle of it all..."

"I completely agree. New York is amazing, but sometimes all you want to do is sit back and relax," Kurt nodded, shooting Blaine another small smile.

"And as much as I love your friends and Wes and David, well... It's really nice to get to do something like this together..." Blaine murmured, his eyes shining in the low light as Kurt flushed a little more, drawing in a soft breath as he nodded, humming an agreement.

"Oh! Code red, code red!" Wes said, pointing as they all turned to look, the heat in the air obvious between the two boys outside. Blaine's fingers moved, flexing. "He's going to go for a hand-hold...! He's going to-... _Damn it_!"

The waitress reappeared, smiling widely. "Can I get you two drinks?" She asked, Kurt and Blaine looking up to her immediately and smiling back, both a little pinker than before.

"I'll have a diet coke, please," Kurt said softly.

"Same for me, please," Blaine nodded. "And also, can we have a bottle of water for the table?"

"Of course! Are you two ready to order?"

"We'd like another moment, if that's alright...?" Blaine said in his most charming manner.

"Sure!" The girl beamed, leaving them to it. Kurt watched her go before shifting a little and looking down at his menu.

"I have to say, their Greek salad with chicken looks simply divine..."

"I think I've been seduced by the lamb chops," Blaine smiled, flicking through the menu one last time before gently putting it aside. "How was the shopping with Mercedes and Quinn? I see shopping bags," he grinned, pointing to them as Kurt laughed, putting his own menu aside before reaching and gently putting the bundle of bags between them.

"It was absolutely _amazing_. I wish you could have been there because there was a sale on at Ralph Lauren and..." He reached into one of his bags, pulling out an item of clothing wrapped in soft tissue paper. Quinn nudged Mercedes.

"Kurt's going for the sweater...!"

Kurt smiled softly, handing out the parcel as Blaine blinked at it. "I took the liberty of buying you a little something..."

"... Kurt..." Blaine murmured, taking the parcel from him with a beautiful, warm smile. "... You didn't have to... I... You didn't spend too much on me, did you...!" At least now he had the perfect excuse to pay for dinner. Kurt laughed softly, blushing.

"Open it...!" he insisted, watching as Blaine nodded and gently plucked apart the tissue paper and pushed it aside to look at the garment underneath. He gently picked it up by the shoulders, beaming as he lifted the incredibly soft sweater to look at it. It was dark grey, made out of the softest of cashmere, and a bright orange vein ran through it in a lazily spiralling pattern.

"... Oh, Kurt... It's amazing... I love it... Does this mean I can wear orange without you clawing your eyes out now~?" Blaine grinned, gently stroking its sleeve. Kurt laughed, flushed with happiness as Blaine moved to pull off his previous sweater and put on his new one.

"Don't be silly~. The only orange you're allowed to wear is that orange," Kurt teased, nodding to Blaine's chest as he straightened the perfectly fitted sweater. Blaine chuckled, looking up to Kurt with a heart-melting warm shimmer to his eyes.

"... Thank you so, so much Kurt... I absolutely love it..." Kurt flushed gently with a small smile as he brushed his fringe to the side.

"It was a pleasure, honestly... It suits you, and... I really wanted to get you something to say thank you... For everything... Sometimes I think that if I'd never met you, well..." he looked away, touching his collar. "... I might have done something rash and drastic..." Blaine swallowed, leaning in as he gently put his hand on Kurt's shoulder, the younger boy biting his bottom lip softly as he smiled, looking over, instantly lost in the intensity of Blaine's eyes.

"... Kurt, I-"

"-Are you guys ready to-... Oh, god, sorry, am I interrupting? I can come back in a few moments...!" Kurt and Blaine both flushed as they jumped, looking to the waitress. Blaine squeezed Kurt's shoulder quickly and took his hand back.

"No, no... It's fine, I think we're ready to order," Blaine smiled, though it came out a little strained as the waitress put down their drinks and a bottle of water, bringing out a little notepad. Blaine looked to Kurt for him to go first.

"Oh, I'll have the Greek chicken salad, please."

"Mmhmn...!"

"And I'll have the lamb chops, please."

"Do you want chips or potatoes with that?" She asked, smiling widely as Blaine looked over to Kurt for a second.

"Chips, please. We can share," he said to Kurt with a small smile and a wink as Kurt laughed softly, handing the waitress their menus. She took them with another beam and disappeared. Kurt reached forwards, picking up his glass and taking a sip before putting it back down and turning back to his shopping bags. He and Blaine spent the next half an hour or so discussing Kurt's purchases and all things fashionable and discounted and wonderful until their food arrived, the waitress smiling as she put down the bowl of chips between them.

"I hope you enjoy your meal...!" She beamed before running off again to leave them to it.

"Well," Kurt said with a small smile, lifting his glass. "To New York and Nationals." Blaine laughed softly, clinking their glasses together with a warm smile.

"To New York and Nationals," he repeated with a wink, both of them sipping at their cokes before digging into the truly delicious food before them. A few moments later, Blaine cut off an elegant piece of the beautifully cooked lamb and smiled dashingly, turning to Kurt.

"Would you like to try a bit...?"

"Sure," Kurt nodded, looking over. The light had darkened, the candles throwing warm highlights over their skin, the red of the roses and tablecloth adding to the warm, sensual light between them. Blaine speared the lamb on his fork and smiled, holding it delicately between his fingers.

"Open wide..." he murmured, voice dropping half a tone as Kurt blushed a little, looking between the fork and Blaine before obediently parting his lips. Wes elbowed David so hard he dropped his knife with a clatter.

"Look, look...!" Wes gasped, the four of them forgetting their dinner and craning their necks to watch as Blaine leaned in.

"Only Blaine could make doing something as cheesy as feeding someone look so... Charming," David grinned, putting his down his rescued knife to watch.

"If anyone else tried to do that to Kurt they'd be left verbally torn to shreds," Mercedes laughed, sipping her drink.

Kurt's flush deepened as Blaine expertly navigated the mouthful between his lips, his mouth closing around the metal as his tongue and teeth worked in tandem to avoid an awkward moment, Blaine smiling beautifully as he slid the fork free without a hitch.

The lamb really was very good. Kurt smiled softly, swallowing. "You definitely made a good choice," he murmured, swirling his own fork around his salad. "Would you like to try a little of mine...?"

"Of course," Blaine grinned, winking. "I only offered mine so I could get a go at yours~," he teased, Kurt laughing as he selected a few of the best bits and, after a nanosecond's hesitation, lifted his fork to Blaine's lips.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm in a generous mood today..." Kurt said softly, his cheeks pink as Blaine winked again and parted his lips.

"I have a feeling someone should be filming this so we can embarrass them when they're famous," David grinned, watching them. "I can practically see the sparkles and rainbows dancing around them."

Quinn giggled softly, shaking her head slowly. "... I've never seen Kurt act this... _Happy..._"

"I've never seen Blaine act this _soppy_," Wes laughed. "He likes to pretend he's totally manly, but we all knew he was a closet romantic. He almost brought Kurt flowers, but the florists only had neon pink looking things, and Blaine decided they had to be red roses or nothing."

"Kurt's a lucky guy," Quinn smiled, glancing to Wes and David.

"Kurt _deserves _to be the lucky guy for once," Mercedes said softly, still watching them as the two laughed, Blaine grinning and obviously complimenting the salad as they continued to eat their own dishes. "He's always had it rough when it comes to love... First Finn, and then Sam... And then all the bullying, his mom and his dad's heart attack... He deserves to go on dates and hold hands," she smiled, looking back to the other three as they nodded and returned to their food too, keeping an eye on the two boys outside.

The evening drew on and, after a few moments of deliberation, a pudding of ice-cream was ordered to share and then eaten from one bowl with two spoons. Kurt had never felt this happy in his life. He was light-headed, giddy and constantly smiling, his cheeks a permanent flush as they talked and talked, never once running out of things to say or having an awkward pause. However, inside, the group were incredibly conscious of the time. Blaine – or Kurt, but most likely Blaine – had only 15 minutes left in which to make a move before they had to leave. They watched with baited breath as the waitress came with the bill and Blaine insisted on paying, their dishes cleared and the two sitting there with small, happy smiles.

"This is bad," David said sincerely. "Blaine's going to chicken out."

"And Kurt's not going to push it," Mercedes groaned.

"There's only one thing we can do," Wes smirked, turning to the little group. "We do what we do best. We sing."

Quinn raised her eyebrow. "... We sing...?"

"We sing," Wes nodded. "David! Ask the waitress to pause the music, and then us four will sneak out into the gardens and hide behind that protruding bit of wall. When the music comes to the end, we sing." Mercedes grinned, leaning forwards a little.

"What do we sing?"

"Why, something incredibly soppy and romantic and so on!" David laughed. "We sing Kiss The Girl, but make it Kiss The Boy. Obviously." Mercedes and Quinn slowly beamed as they nodded.

"Mercedes, you take lead vocals, us three will back you up," Wes grinned, ushering them out of the booth as David ran over to the waitress, quickly explaining as she nodded, going to the music system. Within a few seconds all four of them had hidden behind the low wall, Kurt and Blaine oblivious to their presence as Kurt flicked out his phone to check the time, putting it down on the table in front of him. They were sitting in comfortable silence with each other, finishing the last dregs of their dessert when the music came to an end and, with a nod, Quinn, David and Wes started up the backing vocals. Kurt and Blaine both paused, noting the change in the music. Mercedes grinned softly and started to sing.

"_There you see him, sitting there across the way... He's sure got a lot to say, and there's something about him... And you don't know why, but you're dying to try, you want to kiss the boy..."_

Kurt blinked, looking up to Blaine. This wasn't the original song from Disney's masterpiece... And... Why were the pronouns all he...? What version was this...? He was sure he knew that voice...

"_Yes, you want him, look at him you know you do... It's definite he wants you too but there's one way to ask him... It don't take a word, not a single word... Go on and kiss the boy..."_

Suddenly the acapella voices that formed the music came forward more strongly, and Kurt could have _sworn _he recognized all of the voices. But his attention was firmly on Blaine, the two simply staring at each other as the music washed over them, their lips slightly parted and the world shrinking down to just them.

"_Sha la la la la la, my oh my, look at the boy too shy, ain't gonna kiss the guy... Sha la la la la la ain't it sad, ain't it a shame, too bad, you're gonna miss the boy..."_

Blaine swallowed, licking his lips and shifting, leaning in a little. Kurt's heart rate tripled, his breath hitching in his lungs as he watched the sweep of Blaine's tongue. The main voice came through again, soft and sweet.

"_Now's your moment, listening to singers croon, boy you'd better do it soon, no time will be better...! He won't say a word, and he won't say a word until you kiss the boy..."_

Blaine's chair scraped softly against the floor as he shifted, his hand slowly covering Kurt's as the younger boy gasped silently, fingers trembling because this was _happening_, this was actually _happening _and holy _crap _it was like the moment had sprung, perfectly formed, from the most amazing film _ever made_.

"_Sha la la la la la, my oh my, look at the boy too shy, ain't gonna kiss the guy... Sha la la la la la ain't it sad, ain't it a shame, too bad, you're gonna miss the boy..."_

Kurt's trembling fingers slowly linked with Blaine's, his heart hammering in his chest like a demon possessed as Blaine shifted closer, his eyes alight with a thousand points of light from the candles.

"_Sha la la la la la, don't be scared, you got the mood prepared, go on and kiss the boy... Sha la la la la la don't stop now, don't try to hide it how you wanna kiss the boy...!"_

Their knees brushed, Kurt shifting and not even glancing down as he accidentally knocked over one of his shopping bags with his foot as he turned more towards Blaine, whole body shuddering as Blaine gently took his other hand.

"_Sha la la la la la sing a long and listen to the song, the song says kiss the boy...! Sha la la la la la the music plays, do what the music says, you want to kiss the boy...! You've got to kiss the boy, you've got to kiss the boy...!"_

Blaine was so close, so close Kurt could see every hair in his eyebrows, every single lash, every line in his skin.

"_You've got to kiss the boy!"_

"_Sha la la la la la you gonna miss the boy...!"_

"_You've got to kiss, you've got to kiss the boy!"_

Their noses brushed. Kurt could feel Blaine's breath across his lips. Suddenly, and with absolutely no prior warning, Kurt's phone wailed into life - the music of Lady GaGa so loud and jarring that they both jumped, yelping as pain slammed into them from where they'd crashed their foreheads together. They looked over to Kurt's phone in sync, both breathing deeply and bright red, clutching their aching foreheads.

Kurt was going to murder whoever had rung him. He was actually going to murder them. He snatched up his phone, hand trembling with rage.

Carole.

Suddenly his rage was replaced by utter fear as he gasped, eyes going huge. Why would Carole ring him, unless...? Blaine made a despairing noise as Kurt answered it, feeling the moment slip away for ever.

"Carole? Hello? What's wrong? Is it my dad? Is he okay?" Guilt crashed into Blaine as he recognised the fear in Kurt's tone, his hand instantly resting on Kurt's shoulder, his own pain and frustration forgotten. Kurt slumped in relief, Blaine able to hear Carole's tone of voice but not her words.

"... You gave me a fright... No, I'm fine... Really... Carole, I don't mean to be rude but... Why are you calling...? You-... What? Really? You're... And dad...?" A beam broke out over Kurt's face. "Oh my god... No, I'm happy! I... I didn't think you two would come...! You kept the surprise well hidden," Kurt laughed, looking to Blaine. "Oh, um... No, you're right by it. I think you went left instead of right. It's the theatre with the-... Yeah, yes. That's it. Yeah, The Warblers and New Directions. Okay... Okay. Have you told Finn? Good... Okay. I'll see you two then...! Bye...!" Kurt hung up and put his phone away. "Carole and my dad have come up to see us preform this evening," he smiled, his hand fluttering up to rub his reddened forehead, biting his lip slightly at the frustration of being interrupted.

But Blaine just beamed, his charm and manners seemingly unshakeable as he gently hugged Kurt, helping him up and carrying his bags for him along with his coat, Kurt quickly popping his iPhone in its pocket after flicking it to silent. "That's wonderful news, Kurt...! I'm sure Finn will be ecstatic as well. Talking of performances, we're going to be late if we don't set off now." Kurt nodded, gently linking his arm with Blaine's.

"Let's go." They left the restaurant, Mercedes, Quinn, Wes and David sneaking after them with copious curses and grumbles at how their perfect plan had been so spectacularly ruined at the last moment. They soon caught up, smiling and acting as if nothing weird had happened. It wasn't long before they were at the theatre, Wes leading them to the side of the building.

"We'll go in the stage door," he smiled. "Then no-one will know we're a few minutes late." He held the door open, Mercedes and Quinn going through first. Just as David went in, a man came up to them with a map in his hands, smiling politely. He was quite tall and heavily built, a large black coat on along with a low hat and dark hair, combed back into a thick ponytail.

"Excuse me," he said, his accent foreign and quite heavy as the three remaining boys turned to him. "I very sorry to bother, but I very lost..."

Kurt glanced to Blaine and Wes, about to open his mouth and tell the man they were actually running a little late and needed to hurry, but Blaine smiled graciously and gave Kurt's bags to him, forgetting the coat that was over his arm. "You guys go in. I'll help this man out and be right along."

"Are you sure...?" Wes asked as the man stood there, looking a little confused as if he was having trouble following the conversation.

"Of course," Blaine smiled. "We're performing second, and this'll only take a few moments."

"Alright," Wes said with a quick smile, ushering Kurt in. "We'll see you in a few!"

Blaine nodded, smiling a little as he turned back to the man. "I'm afraid I'm not a local, but I can at least help you out with the map."

"Thanks you very much, you kind boy," the man smiled, spreading out the map on the nearby wall and shooting Blaine another smile. It was hard to see the details of his face, but his skin tone was darker than Blaine's, and he had the beginnings of a stubbly beard growing, his eyes narrow and lips thin.

"Let's see..." Blaine murmured, standing next to him as the man lowered the map a little, the boy short in comparison. The alley was dark and empty save for them. "... We're here..." Blaine said with a smile, putting his finger on the map. "Where do you want to be?"

"... Let think... Let think..." the man murmured, reaching into his pocket behind Blaine's line of vision. "... It called... 43rd Streep...?"

"Do you mean Street...?" Blaine asked, leaning in closer to the map to try to find said street.

"Yes, yes Street. My English not good..." he slowly drew a bundled rag from his pocket, Blaine completely and utterly oblivious as he squinted to see in the low light.

"Don't worry, your English is fine... Here's 40th Street..." he murmured. "So... 43rd must be... H-!" The man moved like a flash of lightning, clamping the rag over Blaine's mouth and nose. Blaine jerked, shoving back against him in alarm and crying out, the sound just a muffled moan as the man smashed him into the wall, keeping the stinking rag over his face. Blaine gasped for breath, panic and fear rising up in him as he struggled desperately, trying to scream. He quickly felt woozy, his vision swimming as he sagged, suddenly fighting to keep his eyes open as he arched, the noise of the city fading out from around him as each breath dragged him closer and closer to passing out, the man's grip on him painful and definitely bruising.

He realized far too late that the rag was soaked in chloroform, and the man behind him was now effortlessly dragging him towards the large, grey van which had pulled up at the end of the alley, his eyes rolling as he tried not to breathe in any more of the gas. He could barely register it when another man grabbed his feet, the two of them throwing him into the back of the van. He didn't feel the pain of impact at all, one hand raising weakly towards the light as the man slammed the van door shut.

And then everything went black.

Kurt frowned, checking his watch in the green room. "Seriously, what's taking him so long?" He grumbled to Wes who was attempting to tie his bow-tie.

"I have no idea... Try calling him? Also, help?" he turned despairingly to Kurt who stood, rolling his eyes in an affectionate manner and tying it for him.

"I can't, he's got my phone in my coat pocket. There." Kurt drew back, straightening his and gently tugging the jacket straight. Wes smiled, clapping his shoulder as David appeared.

"Hey, do you two want to sneak in the back and watch New Directions preform?"

"That'd be great," Kurt said with a nod, scribbling a note for Blaine when he arrived and sticking it to Blaine's costume. "Let's go." They sneaked into the back of the theatre, hiding behind a little corner thing as they waited, knowing they had another ten minutes or so before McKinley was on. Kurt shifted uneasily, turning to Wes as the lights went down. "If Blaine's not back in five I'm going to go and check on him," he murmured. "It shouldn't take this long to show someone where something is." Wes nodded in agreement, looking over to where the spotlights had come on, showing New Directions with their backs to the audience.

"Please welcome, all the way from Lima, Ohio, the William McKinley High School Glee Club, New Directions!" The audience burst into applause, Kurt clapping too with a small smile as the group started to sing, swaying from side to side and clicking their fingers as Rachel turned, her Broadway Beam on her lips as she started to sing.

"_I get tired and upset, and I'm trying to care a little less, and on Google I only get depressed. I was taught to dodge those issues, I was told:"_

Santana turned then, grinning wickedly at the crowd as she swung her hips lazily.

"_Don't worry, there's no doubt, there's always something to cry about when you're stuck in an angry crowd, they don't think what they say before they open their mouth, you gotta:"_

Suddenly all the boys turned, Artie wheeling himself around expertly as the girls started to weave in and out of them, backs turned to the audience as they kept up the harmonies, the boy's voices working in unison like a wall of sound.

"_Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and bury them beneath the sea! I don't care what the people may say, what the people may say about me. Pack up your troubles, get your old grin back, don't worry about the cavalry, I don't care what the whisperers say, 'cause they whisper too loud for me!"_

The boys turned back, swinging their hips and clapping in time as Mike moved around the otherwise stationary group, Quinn turning with a pretty smile to the crowd. Kurt touched Wes' arm, whispering in his ear. "I'm going to go and check on Blaine." Wes nodded, Kurt slipping off.

"_Hot topic, maybe I should drop it, it's a touchy subject and I like to tiptoe 'round the shhh going down, you got a penny, no pound,"_

Brittany turned then as Quinn turned back, closing her eyes as she sang. Kurt glanced around the changing room, frowning softly at Blaine's untouched costume before heading to the stage door.

"_So if your business is running out it's not my business to talk about, they don't think what they say before they open their mouth, you gotta:"_

This time the group moved inwards, ducking down on their knees in a kind of circle around Mercedes as she lifted her arms above her head and let rip, her beautiful voice forcing the crowd up onto their feet, clapping wildly as she sang like the diva she was.

"_Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and bury them beneath the sea! I don't care, I don't care what the people may say, what the people may say 'bout me! Pack up your troubles, get your old grin back, don't worry 'bout the cavalry! I don't care, I don't care, I don't care what the whisperers say, cause they whisper, they whisper, they whisper too loud for me!"_

Kurt opened the door with a small frown, shivering in the wash of cold air. "Blaine...?" New Directions span, everyone facing the front and holding hands, their voices softening with truly excellent control as Lauren sang above them.

"_It's just to test your ability, let's count from one to infinity, don't rock the boat, gotta let it be, gotta let it go..."_

Tina's voice carried clear above the harmony provided by her band mates as Mike took her hands, breaking the line and spinning her in around in a jazzed up version of a waltz.

"_Tweet tweet, tweet tweet, tw-tw-tweet tweet, tweet tw-tweet tw-tw-tweet tweet, tweet tw-tweet, tweet tweet... Tweet tweet... Tweet tweet, tweet tweet tweet tweet tweet...!"_

Kurt frowned softly, stepping out into the alley. The deserted alley. "B-... Blaine? Blaine! Where are you?" Suddenly, he saw the map laying abandoned on the ground and froze, the colour draining from his cheeks. The boys strode forwards, the girls falling back again as they sang, Sam and Puck taking centre stage.

"_Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and bury them beneath the sea! I don't care what the people may say, what the people may say about me. Pack up your troubles, get your old grin back, don't worry about the cavalry, I don't care what the whisperers say, 'cause they whisper too loud for me!"_

"Oh my god... Oh god..." Kurt turned, running back inside and grabbing Wes, eyes huge and panicked.

"_Yeah yeah yeah!"  
"Do-do-do-bab-bab-doobie-do!"_

"_Yeah yeah!"_

"_Da-doobie-do-ba-do-do!"_

"_Oh, oh!"_

"_Da-da-da-dabba-do...!"_

"Wes, Blaine's-!" Kurt was suddenly drowned out as the audience leaped to their feet, whooping and cheering and clapping. Wes and David turned to Kurt, frowning at the terrified look on his face, quickly leading him into the changing rooms. "What's happened...?" Wes asked as Kurt gasped for breath. The lights went down on stage as the group moved, forming a semicircle and wrapping their arms around each other, Finn and Rachel standing in the middle, hand in hand as a single beam fell down upon them, the rest of the group in the darkness as they switched songs, the music spilling forth from their lips as Finn looked tenderly to Rachel and smiled.

"_Looking in your eyes I see a paradise, this world that I found is too good to be true... Standing here beside you, want so much to give you this love in my heart that I'm feeling for you..."_

"Blaine's gone! He's gone and that man's gone and oh god, the map's still there and-!"

"-_Kurt_," David said firmly. "Take a deep breath. Blaine's probably just showing the man to the main street." Kurt shook his head desperately.

"No, David, the map is crumpled up on the ground!" He gasped out, eyes glazed and cheeks white as Wes and David looked to each other.

"... Let's go and look."

Rachel beamed back up at Finn, eyes half closing as they moved closer.

"_Let them say we're crazy, I don't care about that, put your hand in my hand baby, don't ever look back! Let the world around us just fall apart, baby we can make it if we're heart to heart!"_

Wes yanked open the door, David and Kurt following close behind as they spilled out into the street. "BLAINE? BLAINE!" David called, jogging off in one direction after a tense second of staring at the crumpled, discarded map. Wes started in the other, shoving Kurt his phone. "Call Blaine while I look this way. BLAINE! BLAINE!" Kurt was trembling as he dialled Blaine's number. The lights flared over the group as they all joined in on the chorus, turning to the crowd and beaming, lifting their arms in a beautiful wave of sound that had Mr. Schue wiping a proud tear from the corner of his eye.

"_And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now! And if this world runs out of lovers, we still have each other, nothing's gonna stop us now, nothing's gonna stop us now!"_

Kurt pressed the phone to his ear, listening with a sick feeling in his stomach as it rang. And rang. And rang. And rang. Finally it cut to voicemail and Kurt swallowed thickly. "Blaine, it's me, Kurt... Blaine please pick up, please call back... Where are you...?" He hung up then, trying his phone with the same outcome. Sam and Quinn stepped forwards with Mike and Tina, the two couples twirling around each other as the two boys sang, Sam leading Mike who did an admirable job.

"_I'm so glad I found you, I'm not gonna lost you, whatever it takes I will stay here with you... Take it to the good times, see it through the bad times, whatever it takes it what I'm gonna do...!"_

David and Wes came running back over, out of breath and the worry clear on their faces as they panted. "Did you manage to get him...?" David asked, already knowing the answer as Kurt shook his head, shaking as he clutched the phone, trying again as David tried calling Kurt's phone. Both rang out. Tina and Quinn took over, spinning around and dancing with their partners, beams on their faces.

"_Let them say we're crazy, what do they know? Put your arms around me baby, don't ever let go. Let the world around us just fall apart, baby we can make it if we're heart to heart!"_

"We need to tell the manager of the competition," Wes said calmly, a hand on Kurt's shoulder as the younger boy tried not to cry. "Kurt, you need to go and tell Mr. Schuester, and David... Call the police." David nodded, looking a little sick himself as he dialled 911. The group came together again, all holding hands and singing, tilting their heads back.

"_And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now! And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other, nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us...!"_

Mercedes stepped forwards, solo but grinning, lifting her arms as she hit those big, beautiful notes. Wes quickly lead Kurt back inside, heading up a small flight of stairs to the manager's office.

"_Ooh, all that I need is you...! All that I ever need, and all that I want to do... Is hold you forever...! Ever and ever...!"_

From behind Mercedes, Brittany pushing his chair, Artie rolled forwards with a shining, beautiful electric guitar in his hands, a grin on his face as the spotlight fell on him, his fingers moving like lightning as he played the lead solo, the audience going wild as Brittany danced around him, the rest of the group stepping forwards, Artie still playing as Puck and Santana moved forwards, dancing as Brittany spun Artie in circles, everyone on stage beaming.

"_And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now! And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other, nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us...!"_

"Mr. Garriyn?" Wes asked, the kindly looking man turning to smile at them. But he froze at the look on their faces.

"... What's happened? Has someone had an accident?"

"Mr. Garriyn, I think one of our boys – Blaine Anderson – has been kidnapped," Wes said slowly, his tone terrifyingly sombre as Kurt choked back a sob, wrapping his arms around himself before running out to find Mr. Schue.

"What! Oh god... Are you sure? He's not just hiding in the toilets?" Wes shook his head, explaining what had happened as Mr. Garriyn slowly sat down, looking just as pale as Wes. "... Have you called the police...?"

"David's doing that now..." Wes said, swallowing heavily as he sat down, the weight of it crashing upon him as he took out his phone and called Blaine again, shaking his head as it rang out.

"_And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now! And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other, nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us...!"_

Kurt ran down the narrow passageway towards the theatre's seats, his heart hammering in his chest. He opened the door just as New Directions belted out their final verse, in a perfect formation, arms held high and beams on their faces.

"_And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now! And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other, nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now...!"_

The hall exploded into noise, everyone on their feet as they whooped and cheered, New Directions bowing. Kurt ran down the narrow corridor towards Mr. Schue. It felt like he was running in slow motion, the noise around him a dull roar. The group blinked, still grinning as they watched Kurt grab Mr. Schue's arm, the teacher's smile instantly disappearing at the look on Kurt's face. A second later worry turned to horror as he gently gripped Kurt's arms and said something back, Kurt nodding before leading Mr. Schue away. As soon as New Directions were off stage and in the green room, Mercedes rang Kurt's phone, concerned. Just as it hit voicemail, Mr. Schue came in looking devastated. Everyone went silent, looking at him with a heavy feeling of dread in their stomachs, the excitement and euphoria from their performance ripped from them.

"... Blaine's been kidnapped, guys... The police are here, and they want to talk to Mercedes and Quinn..." he said softly, everyone in the room staring at him in shock. Puck was the first to speak.

"What the hell? Kidnapped! Where from!" Mr. Schue exhaled softly, his face lined with worry.

"From what Kurt managed to tell me, he stayed outside to give someone directions and never came back in..."

"Where's Kurt?" Finn interrupted, taking a step forward.

"He's with the police now, Finn," Mr. Schue said, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. "They're going to send him in here along with the rest of the Warblers in a moment." Just as he said that the door opened and a group of shocked, pale looking boys stood there. The lead one tried to crack a smile.

"Hey... You guys were amazing out there..." He murmured, politely. Mr. Schue gave him a strained smile back, gesturing to the seats.

"Come in and take a seat guys... Is that all of you...?"

"Wes, David and Kurt are giving statements... They were... They were the last to see Blaine," the boy said, sounding shell-shocked as he slowly sat down, Sam shifting up for him to do so as everyone took seats again, an awful silence descending upon them all. A few moments later the door opened, Wes, David and Kurt coming in with a grim looking policeman.

"Mercedes Jones and Quinn Fabray...? I need you two to come with me, please." He said softly. They nodded, Mercedes already tearful as she left, following her friend. Finn stood, going over to Kurt and pausing, his hand hovering over the trembling boy's shoulder before he moved, suddenly tugging Kurt forwards into a hug.

"... It's going to be okay, Kurt... He probably just got hungry and wandered off and got lost..." Finn whispered, a little stilted and sounding unsure, though he was doing his utmost best to comfort his stepbrother. After a tense second, Kurt freezing up in his arms, he slumped suddenly and burst into tears, covering his face with his hands. Most of the boys looked away awkwardly, swallowing as Kurt gasped out a shaky sob, Finn instinctively hugging him tighter, clamping his own eyes shut. "It's going to be okay... It's going to be okay..."

Mr. Schue turned away from them, exhaling shakily and squeezing his eyes closed as Rachel and the other girls went over to Kurt, hugging him too. Soon Kurt was sat on a sofa, Finn's arm around him on one side and Rachel the other. His head was ducked, a mound of tissues in his lap as they waited anxiously for some news, _any_ news. The theatre fell silent around them, the guests informed of what had happened. The Andersons were taken aside by the police and the parents of the children present were given another room to wait in while statements were conducted and questions asked.

Blaine groaned softly, pain racing through him as he shifted. His cheek was pressed against something cold and gritty, a foul smell in his nostrils as the floor shook and moved under him. With another grunt he tried to sit up, cracking open his eyes when he realized he could barely move his arms or legs. The light was low, a dirty yellow that still managed to sting his eyes as he blinked, nausea welling up in him.

"He's coming to, Andreas."

… Andreas...? Who the hell was Andreas...? Where was Kurt...? He shifted again, wincing as his elbow throbbed, his arms... His arms... His arms _tied _behind him. Blaine suddenly woke up a lot faster than he had been doing, eyes widening as he struggled, gasping softly as the harsh rope bit into his skin, his ankles tied too and a loop around his neck which tightened as he pulled at it. Blaine wheezed softly, freezing up as he felt fingers run along his neck, tugging the rope to loosen it again, a foot kicking him to roll over from where he was facing the wall of the van.

"Rise and shine, Blaine, rise and shine."

Blaine's chest heaved as he looked up at the man crouching over him, his eyes focusing with painful slowness, still drowsy from the drug. He opened his mouth to speak, to shout, to scream, but the words died on his tongue as the man gently pressed the end of a gun to the middle of Blaine's forehead and pulled back the hammer.

"I'd think very carefully about whether or not you want to speak right now, Blaine." … Blaine slowly closed his mouth, trembling as he looked from the gun to the man and back again. The man above him laughed, a low, cruel sound that send a cold shudder down Blaine's spine, not releasing the pressure the gun was exuding in the slightest. "Listen up, Blaine, because I'm only going to say this once. You will not speak unless you are spoken to. If you're lucky enough to be spoken to, you will address us as Sir. You will answer our questions, and then you will shut up again. If you try to run away, I will shoot out your knee caps and break your hands." Blaine sucked in a sharp breath, closing his eyes for a moment as his heart hammered sickeningly quickly in his chest. "This is a real gun, Blaine, and I don't have the patience for games. Do you understand me?" Blaine swallowed, mouth as dry as a desert as he weakly dipped his chin. "Say it," the man insisted, voice dark and gloating.

"I-..." Blaine croaked, voice cracking and trembling. "... I u-... Understand..." The gun pressed harder, Blaine flinching. "Sir," he gasped out, mind reeling in relief as the pressure relented.

"Good. See? This is going to go by nice and quickly as long as you just do as you're told. If no-one fucks up, you just might make it home alive." Blaine nodded again, not daring to speak as he tried to blink back the terrified tears welling his eyes. He had to be brave. He had to be brave and keep his head and get out of this alive, back to Kurt and his family and his friends. After a long moment the man took his gun back, snickering as Blaine sagged a little in relief, a red ring left in the middle of his forehead. He sat back on a low bench, riveted into the floor of the van and watched Blaine with gleaming eyes.

"Sit up," he finally ordered, a smirk playing on his thin lips. Blaine swallowed, his hair tousled and matted thanks to the dank, damp floor of the van and sticking to his cheeks as he lifted his head, grunting softly in pain and effort as he pushed himself up to sit, legs bent awkwardly under him and shoulders complaining about the angle his wrists had been tied at, the rope biting into his neck at the movement. His eyes were fixed on the gleaming gun dangling casually from the man's hands.

"Little Blaine Anderson... How's Dalton been treating you?" he smirked, crossing his arms as he watched Blaine awkwardly shuffle to rescue his legs from their pain and lean back against the van's side. "Well? I asked you a question, Blaine. Don't make me wait."

Blaine gritted his teeth, his mouth tasting gummy and disgusting as he took a few deep breaths before replying. "... Well, sir..."

"And do you have friends there, Blaine?" He was grinning, obviously enjoying this game, the terrified look in the boy's eyes as he idly swung the gun.

"... Y-... Yes... Sir..." Blaine whispered, unable to keep his gaze off the weapon and flinching terribly as the man pointed it at him with a cruel laugh.

"Friends who would miss you if I shot you?"

"... Yes, sir..." Blaine mumbled, eyes closing for a few moments as he tried to draw in ragged, trembling breaths.

"A friend in particular, Blaine...? A flaming little queer in particular, Blaine?" Blaine gasped, eyes widening as he looked up at the man with a whole new level of fear in his eyes.

"Wh-..."

"-Don't try to play dumb, Blaine. We've been following you for a long time now, and we know all about your little _boyfriend_," he sneered. Blaine ducked his head, breathing sharply before he looked up through his hair, defiance gleaming in his eyes.

"... I swear to god," he whispered, trembling even as he gritted out the words, "if you hurt him I'll kill you..." The man burst out laughing, almost howling with it as he threw his head back before leaping to his feet in a burst of energy that had Blaine flinching back and choking as the rope tightened around his neck again.

"You'll kill me! You hear that Andreas? If I touch his boyfriend, _he'll kill me_!" There was more laughter from the front of the van before suddenly the man crouched, grabbing a fistful of Blaine's hair and yanking it back, shoving the gun under his chin. The gleam in his eyes was manic as Blaine jerked, crying out softly in pain. "You'll kill me, will you? You little _fag_. You'll kill _me_? Who's got the gun, huh? _Who's got the fucking gun, Blaine_?"

Blaine's breath came out as a terrified whine as he shook, the click from the safety-catch being flicked off echoing above the engine's roar. "Y-You do... S-Sir..." he gasped out. The man slowly nodded, letting go of Blaine's hair and drawing back, sitting down on the bench and de-arming the gun as Blaine huddled up a little, forcing back the sick, stinging tears.

"Don't piss me off, Blaine. Don't piss me off. Now... Where we we... Oh, that's right," he smirked. "Where's your wallet, Blaine?" Blaine swallowed, still gasping for breath.

"I-In my left pocket, sir..." he whispered, flinching back as the man reached forward, shoving his hand into his pocket and pulling out said wallet, flicking through it and grinning as he pulled out two photos. Blaine bit his lip as he watched, trembling visibly.

"How cute... Your little fag, and your family..." with a flick of his fingers he ripped up the two photos and crushed them into little balls, flicking them across the van. "Now where's your phone, Blaine?" Blaine's stomach dropped as he opened his mouth, hesitating before gritting his teeth.

"... M-... My other pocket, sir..." he choked out, turning his head away as his phone was yanked from him.

"Nice model. Must've cost you a pretty penny," he smirked, dropping it to the floor and bringing his foot down on it with startling force, the phone impacting underneath his boot and exploding into shards of plastic and glass. Blaine flinched, forcing himself to keep his chin up. "And your iPod, Blaine? Any other technology?"

And then Blaine said something that would either save his life, or get his brains blown out with a single bullet. "... No sir... Nothing..." he whispered, the man looking at him for a moment and nodding. Kurt's coat lay crumpled in the corner, forgotten along with the iPhone within it. The man sat back down, stretching before flicking his gun.

"Get back down, Blaine. We're done talking for now." Blaine didn't reply, slowly edging himself to lay down again and gasping in pain as the van jolted and he hit his head off the side, the man laughing cruelly at him. Blaine clamped his eyes shut and ducked his chin, trying not to break down. He had to stay strong. Keep his head. He had to survive this.

It wasn't long before the van ground to a halt and Blaine froze up, his breath stopping in his lungs from fear. The man stood, stretching as he leaned in, tugging the rope around Blaine's neck tight enough to choke him softly, leaving him gasping for air. "If you even dare to _think _of trying to run away, Blaine, I will take this gun and I will shove it in your boyfriend's mouth, angle it upwards and pull the trigger. Understand, Blaine?" Blaine trembled and nodded, breathing erratic and shaky. "_Understand_?"

"Y-Yes, sir," he breathed out, eyes closing to hide the pain at the thought of them doing that to Kurt. Slowly the man drew back, nodding once and going to the car. "If you scream. If I hear _one single noise_..." He pointed the gun and mimed firing it before sliding open the door a crack and leaving.

The door slammed shut, the driver killing the engine and leaving too. The silence was peppered by Blaine's loud, shaking breaths, his whole body trembling before he moved, scrabbling along the floor towards Kurt's coat. His heart was hammering, sweat beading along his skin as he dragged himself along the floor and forced his body to turn, choking back a grunt of pain as he wrenched his shoulder painfully. His fingers grabbed the coat, shaking manically as he fumbled for Kurt's iPhone, knocking it out on the floor. He was keening for breath, the panic rising in him like a tidal wave because those men could come back at any moment and find him with a phone, and then it would all be over. He turned again, his breath fogging up the screen as the rope around his neck tightened, Blaine shaking harder as he used his forehead to jam the hold button against a rivet poking up from the floor, then nudging his nose against the screen to unlock, the bright light stinging his eyes.

48 missed calls. Blaine choked out something close to a sob as he arched his neck and used his nose again to clumsily use the touch screen, calling the first person he could think of.

David jumped as his phone rang, the sound loud in the silence of the small room he, Kurt, Wes, Finn, Puck, Artie and Mr. Schue were in, all trying to keep Kurt calm as they waited for the street searches to finish, the girls giving more statements. David pulled it out of his pocket, eyes going huge.

"... It's Kurt's phone..."

Mr. Schue shot forwards, eyes going huge too as he quickly took charge. "Puck, go get the officer!" Puck nodded, sprinting out the room as David picked up the call, immediately flicking it to loudspeaker as Kurt fell to his knees beside the held out phone with tears rolling down his cheeks, his hands clasped together, Artie quickly holding up his own mobile to record the conversation.

"... D-... David...?" Blaine's voice. Blaine's muffled, terrified, breathless voice.

"Blaine, Blaine oh god, it's me, it's David, it's going to be okay, I promise," David murmured back, Kurt stifling a sob as Finn gently wrapped an arm around him again, cheeks pale and eyes wide. The police officer barged in with Puck, immediately kneeling by the phone too and speaking in a low, calm and confident way.

"Blaine? Blaine Anderson? This is officer Williams speaking, I am a police officer and I need you to stay calm."

Blaine's swallow was audible over the phone, his voice hushed and quaking, rasping as he struggled to breathe. "I've been kidnapped," he whispered, his voice shaking as he fought to keep it steady, to bite back stutters, "by two men. They know who I am, they know I go to Dalton, th-... They know about... About Kurt," he choked out, Finn's grip tightening as everyone looked in horror to Kurt. "Th-... One's name is Andreas, they don't know I have this phone, they've got a grey van, they... The other man looks... Looks foreign, he doesn't have an... An accent, he... I'm tied up... They... They have a gun..."

"Okay. It's okay, Blaine, we're going to find you. Blaine, you need to listen to me very carefully."

Blaine clamped his eyes shut, shaking as he exhaled. "... I'm l-listening, officer..." His voice cracked, the noise tearing another silent sob from Kurt's throat.

"Blaine, you need to play by their rules. You need to do everything you can to stay alive. You need to hang up and you need to get rid of this phone," he said, ignoring everyone's shocked, disbelieving looks. "Blaine, if they find you with it they will hurt you. We can trace the call from this phone." There was a short silence before Blaine choked out a ragged exhale.

"... Okay... I-..."

"-Blaine," Kurt suddenly sobbed out. "Blaine, it's... It's me, Kurt..."

"Kurt," Blaine gasped, voice suddenly coming through stronger, his resolve audibly strengthening at the sound of Kurt's terrified voice. "A-Are you okay...?" Kurt snorted, a few more tears spurting down his cheeks.

"Blaine, I-"

There was a sudden slam from Blaine's end of the line, Blaine flinching as he gasped in horror, eyes going huge as the door opened and the man came back in, a bag of take-out food in his hands.

"Hey...!" He snarled, storming over as Blaine twisted, fruitlessly trying to hide the phone. "You little _shit_! You lied to me!"

"_Blaine_!" Kurt cried, lunging for the phone as the police officer took it, swearing softly. Blaine cried out in pain as he was grabbed by the hair and his face slammed into the ground, the man above him shouting as the iPhone skidded away.

"_WHO DID YOU FUCKING CALL_!" he slammed Blaine's head back down, another cry of pain escaping the boy's lips as his nose hit the floor with a sickening crunch. He could feel wetness flowing, the tinny voice of Kurt screaming for him ringing in his ears as he was dragged back up, gasping for breath and spitting out the blood that dribbled into his mouth. The man reached over him, smashing the butt of his gun into the phone again and again and again until it was a shattered mess on the floor. "You little..." the man growled, pulling Blaine's head until the rope tightened dangerously, Blaine spluttering and coughing as he tried to breathe, shaking badly as the man snarled, low and dangerous in his ear.

"... You're so _fucking _lucky that we need you alive, Blaine..." Blaine sobbed, breathing through his mouth as he was shoved back down to the cold floor, the rope choking him and his forehead pressed to the ground as the engine started up again. He looked up at the man, despair shining in his eyes.

"... Wh-... Why... Are... Y-You... Doing... Th-This...?" he gritted out, each breath a struggle. The man leant forwards, a smirk slowly replacing the terrifying anger on his face.

"... I'll tell you exactly why we're doing this to you, Blaine..."

A/N: Thank you again to everyone who got this far and who haven't left the story! Once again, thank you for all your amazing support and thank you to my amazing beta.


	4. Bang Bang My Baby Shot Me Down part a

A/N: First of all, I just want to apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter out, but I have an excuse! My computer died when I was doing my final edits, and the file got corrupted beyond belief. I thought it was a lost cause and I'd have to re-write the whole thing again, but by some miracle I managed to find a folder where my computer had made and kept a temporary file! It took me a few days to find it though, but hopefully it won't happen again!

Wow. Just... Oh my god, wow. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of support I've been getting, even though you're all going to hate me because of my love for cliff-hangers xD! I've also changed the summary a little, only because the first one I wrote really wasn't very good at all.

Your reviews really brighten my day and whenever I'm looking for inspiration, I love coming back to read them again and again! Every single comment means so much! And thanks so much to my amazing beta~! I couldn't do this without you and your infinite awesomeness!

Once again, warnings for foul language and violence.

These are the three songs used in this chapter, on youtube. Please be aware that you have to add the first part of the link yourself, seeing as doesn't allow links :3 Alternatively, you can just copy and paste the title and artist name into youtube! However please beware that I do modify the lyrics to fit better in some cases, but I really recommend putting on the song if it comes up, it really helps set the mood and tone ;)

.com/watch?v=jMD5nzSSOMU – If We Hold On Together – Diana Ross

.com/watch?v=iaiyRD9LIMA – All The Lost Children – Michael Jackson

.com/watch?v=QgQaa_B6ATI – I Want To Break Free- Queen

xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

The man smirked, his previous mad rush of anger seeming to disappear as he opened the bag, his eyes never leaving Blaine. "... You really have no idea who I am, do you, Blaine?" He laughed, shaking his head a little as the stench of hot grease filled the van and he plucked out a chip. "You have no _fucking _idea, and that's the problem with bastards like you."

"... I... I d-don't... Wh-What you're... Talking..." Blaine gritted out, his vision swimming at how tightly the rope was digging into his neck.

"No... No you don't..." He reached forwards, tugging the rope a little so that it wasn't quite so choking as Blaine gasped softly in relief. "It's shocking, really. You put up such a _nice _appearance, don't you? We used to be so close, too," he smirked, fingers curling back into Blaine's hair and tugging as he inspected Blaine's nose, blood still dripping from it; webbing across his jaw and merging with the dirt and sweat smeared across his face. Blaine's eyes were fixed on the man, wide and bright with pain and fear. He swallowed, trying to collect himself.

"... I-I don't know what you're talking about..." he choked out again, flinching as the man laughed harshly, right in his face.

"I was your fucking gardener, Blaine. For five _fucking _years I worked for your dad, I spent five _fucking _years of my life working for you, cutting your _fucking _lawn for next to _nothing._ I fucking used to bring you the fucking _fruit_ that came out of your orchard, _Blaine_." Blaine's eyes widened more as the memories suddenly slammed into him, of when he was only eight and how he'd spend his summers in the garden, walking around and laughing and _playing_ with this man, eating strawberries and blueberries from a basket and... Oh, _god_...

"... Lukas..." he whispered, the horror evident in his voice as the man, Lukas, laughed and dropped his head, going back to the bench and sitting down, digging into his food.

"_Finally._ Took you long enough, seeing as we used to be such good friends," he smirked, the light adding a sickening shine to the grease around his lips as Blaine tried to tilt his head to stop the blood running down the back of his throat.

"... Wh-... _Why_...?" he gritted out, his shoulders aching from the angle he was forcing himself to hold, the blood gently dripping down onto the dirty floor of the van. Why would this man who'd simply resigned one day come back now, with a gun to his head and some awful plot in mind...?

"_Why_? I'll tell you fucking _why_, Blaine. Because your _daddy_ humiliated me. He _accused_ me of stealing from your home, of selling your shit! He fired me and then made it sure that _no-one_ would fucking hire me again," he growled out, eyes suddenly fixed on Blaine with that manic glint to them. "I've had to fucking scrape a life from the gutter, and I'm _sick _of it. Men like your precious daddy piss me off," he snarled, "they do _nothing_ all day and get money handed to them like it's fucking _confetti_." Lukas took a moment to breathe, shoving a few more chips into his mouth. Blaine swallowed, his mind reeling as he tried to take it all in, tried to understand what they wanted and... And if he'd get out of it alive.

"... P-... Please," he finally whispered. "... Let me go home... I-"

"-Shut up, Blaine," he sneered. "You were a little _shit _of a kid anyway. The most annoying, hyper-active, boring little bastard I'd ever had to put up with. Believe me when I say that begging for mercy isn't going to do anything other than piss me off." After a second Blaine closed his eyes, breathing harshly through his mouth and trying so hard not to let a single tear fall, not to give Lukas that satisfaction.

"Hey, Lukas...! We're nearly there," came the low, surly voice of Andreas as the van swung around to take a corner. Lukas grunted back to him, finishing off the food and crumpling up the paper before throwing it at Blaine's face, snickering as the boy flinched.

"My motive is simple, Blaine. _Money_. You're being held for ransom," he smirked, noting the way that Blaine curled up a little more, trembling slightly more obviously. "Five million dollars, Blaine. Think daddy can afford it? I fucking hope so, because if he can't, he's getting you back in a body bag," he laughed, the delight in his voice clear as he watched his captive. Blaine was silent, the shock of the situation slowly sinking in along with the pain. His nose didn't quite feel broken, but he wouldn't be surprised if he had fractures – not to mention how sickening the smell of blood, dirt and grease was. His head ached and the chloroform still in his system made his stomach churn. The rest of the trip was made in silence, the van grinding to a halt a good few hours later.

"Lukas. We're here." Andreas turned in his seat, giving Blaine a look at his face for the first time. He was sweaty looking, large, pasty pale and... Doughy. He looked misshapen but cruelty gleamed in his eyes as he smirked at the boy. Blaine swallowed, clamping his eyes shut again. His nose had finally stopped bleeding, but he could feel the crusty scabs of blood all over his face still, like a sickening reminder whenever he seemed almost able not to think about what was happening. Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder and he was crying out softly in pain as Lukas hauled him up after untying the rope from around his neck; Andreas getting out the front and opening the side door, reaching in to grab Blaine's other arm and lifting him out. The fresh air washed over him like a life-giving wave, his eyes falling shut as he gasped in the clean oxygen before forcing his eyelids up again and looking around.

It was almost pitch black, and they were literally in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't even spot another light glimmering in the darkness, all he could see were the stars and a moon hiding behind dark, rolling clouds. His feet barely touched the ground before he sagged, knees weak and ankles tied too awkwardly to allow him to stand on his own. Both men uttered cusses, their fingers digging painfully into his arms as they kept him upright. Andreas shut the door again and, with a nod from Lukas, grabbed Blaine in a fireman's lift, slinging the boy over his shoulder as if he was nothing more than a jacket before walking forwards. Blaine barely had the energy to fight, the world swinging sickeningly as he was carried off road. A few moments later Andreas stopped and opened a door, Blaine twisting to see a tiny shack hidden beneath low trees just before he was taken inside. Lukas pushed ahead, the door closing behind them as he flicked on a light.

The single, low bulb hung lazily from the wooden ceiling, covered in cobwebs. Andreas grunted, dumping Blaine down onto a rickety chair next to an equally rickety table, the boy swaying as he fought to keep his balance, never so thankful to be sitting upright before in his life. The shack smelt musty, old and disused as Andreas grunted again, disappearing into another room. Blaine glanced to the front door, freezing as the now all too familiar coldness of the metal gun pressed to his temple.

"Don't even _think_ about it," Lukas sneered, pushing threateningly until Blaine dropped his head, gritting his teeth. "Understand?"

"... Yes, sir..." he whispered, his mouth tasting absolutely revolting as he swallowed, trying to gather any moisture there. Lukas nodded, opening a drawer and rattling around until he pulled out a rusty pair of handcuffs and a wicked looking knife. He turned, smirking as he moved towards Blaine who'd gone white, eyes fixed on the blade as he pressed back against the chair.

"Relax," he laughed, the tone anything but calming as he grabbed Blaine's head and shoved down so hard he almost head-butted his own knees, just managing to turn his head in time to stop his nose getting another blow as he cried out softly in alarm. Lukas kept a fistful of his hair, holding him down. "Stay still," he warned, smirking as Blaine shook under his hand but kept as immobile as he could, whole body tense in sick anticipation for the pain he was sure was coming. But Lukas slid the knife between the curls of rope, sawing at them until they fell in strands on the floor and Blaine's arms sagged, Lukas warningly tugging his hair as Blaine's fingers flexed.

"If you try _anything,_ Blaine, anything at all, I will cut off your ear and send it to your daddy." Blaine exhaled raggedly, not doubting him as Lukas slowly moved him to sit up again. "Slowly bring your hands in front of you and put them on your knees." Blaine did as he was told, his shoulders cracking and popping as relief absolutely flooded him, his hands trembling on his knees. His wrists were red, raw in places, fingers purple and white as he flexed them again, trying to coax the feeling back. Lukas slowly let go of his head, the knife still dangling threateningly between his fingers. "What do you say?"he smirked, tapping the flat edge of the blade against Blaine's cheek, snorting as the boy flinched away.

"... Th-... Thank you," he gritted out, clamping his eyes shut as Lukas pressed the metal harder in warning. "_Sir._"

"Don't forget what _exactly_ is going on here, Blaine," Lukas warned, eyes narrowing a little as he reached down, handcuffing Blaine's wrists together a little less tightly than the rope had been, though the sharp metal bit twice as painfully into his skin. He stood back, putting the blade down out of Blaine's reach and picking up the gun again as he moved to the sink, grabbing a mug from the shelf and turning on the tap. He filled it with water before putting it down loudly on the table in front of the boy. "Drink," he drawled, sounding bored as Blaine hesitated only a fraction of a second before picking up the mug with both hands and bringing it to his lips, eyes glancing fearfully up to Lukas. But Lukas just watched, arms crossed and gun hanging from his fingers.

Never had something as simple as water tasted so amazing. It literally felt like each hurried gulp was bringing things into sharper focus and – while it gave the pain a bit more of a say in the matter – he felt like the hazy fog around his mind had lifted a little. All too soon the mug was empty and Blaine was slowly putting it back down on the table, quickly dropping his hands back in his lap. Lukas snorted, smirking as he picked up the mug and dumped it in the sink. "Where the fuck are your manners, Blaine?"

"... Thank you, sir..." Blaine mumbled, voice a little clearer thanks to the fact his mouth no longer felt coated by ash and blood.

"That's better," Lukas sneered, turning back to Blaine just as Andreas came back into the room, dressed in dark, baggy clothes.

"I'm ready, Lukas," he said coldly, putting down a black sports bag.

"Good. Help me get him into the wardrobe first, then go." Andreas nodded, moving to Blaine and roughly picking him up again, Blaine keeping his lips tightly clamped together as he was once more slung over the large man's shoulder and carried through into what looked like the most disgusting bedroom in the entire world. There was a wide, stained mattress in the corner of the room and a beaten up desk with another broken chair beside it. Rubbish littered the floor, old take-out containers, soda cups, newspaper and clothes just some of the things Blaine was able to pick out. He was suddenly put back down, the only thing keeping him standing being Andreas' pasty hand clamped to his upper arm as the man opened the door to a small but sturdy looking wardrobe. Lukas smirked, leaning against the wall and watching as Andreas forced the boy in, Blaine having to sit and curl up a bit in order to fit.

"Ironic, isn't it? To be locking your faggy little self in a closet," he snickered, Andreas wheezing out a laugh as he closed the doors and drew a key from his pocket, locking the thick, wooden and utterly unbreakable slabs of wood. Blaine gritted his teeth, the small space pitch black save for a few cracks of light. Andreas handed the key over to Lukas and nodded his head, leaving the house with the black bag, Lukas going back into the kitchen and clattering around.

Blaine exhaled slowly, gently raising his hands to touch his nose, gently feeling out any damage that might've been done, relieved to note that though it was swollen and sensitive, it didn't feel broken. Bruised, sore, but intact. He swallowed, remembering officer Williams' words. He had to play by their rules. He'd been lucky enough to survive the phone incident, though he was now pretty sure that his life was safe for the time being. He was absolutely positive that his parents would simply pay the ransom, and while Lukas certainly seemed to have no qualms about causing him harm, Blaine couldn't believe that the man would be vindictive enough to actually _shoot _him... He brought his knees up to his chest a little more, gently leaning his forehead on them. He just had to do what they said, he had to keep on Lukas' good side, and then they'd let him go... He'd be fine... He'd go home to his family and Dalton and Kurt and-...

… Oh, god... _Kurt_... Blaine winced as he remembered the awful, tinny cries over the iPhone as Lukas had come in and caught him, the way Kurt had screamed his name before the phone had been smashed into a thousand pieces... The abject terror and despair in his voice... He knew it was stupid but... Somehow that sound had hurt him even more than getting his face slammed into the floor of the van... Blaine bit his lip, keeping his breathing slow and calm. He had to get out of this for Kurt. He had to do this for his family, for Kurt and – of course – for himself. It'd be _fine_. In a few years, he would even be able to joke about it. He'd tell people he was worth five million dollars, and they'd laugh. He'd _never_ hire a fucking gardener. He'd give talks in schools about the experience, just in case something happened to them. He'd warn them never, ever to give strangers directions alone, no matter how safe you thought it was or how polite you were. He'd be a survivor.

He'd be _fine_.

Xxx xxx xxx

Burt gently squeezed Kurt's shoulder, his arm safe and warm around his son's shoulders. "Come on, kiddo..." he murmured, watching as Kurt's shaking hand unlocked the door to his and Blaine's shared hotel room, it swinging open silently. They both went in, Kurt's breath catching as he tried not to start crying again, shakily sitting on the bed as Burt slowly closed the door and went over to sit beside him, putting his arm back around him. "... It's okay," he mumbled, voice a little gruff, "take a moment..." Kurt nodded thankfully, closing his eyes and breathing out a few times. The two were alone, a kindly officer asking if Kurt would pack up Blaine's belongings and look after them until his parents could pick them up in the morning as the couple were currently working with the police. Kurt had, of course, agreed and Burt had immediately said he'd go with him, sending Carole and Finn ahead to the hotel he'd hurriedly booked an extra room in.

"Thanks for coming with me, dad..." he whispered, glancing up at him as Burt pulled a grim smile and squeezed him a little tighter.

"You don't have to thank me, kiddo... What do you want me to do here...?" he asked, his gaze locking with Kurt's, his voice calm and gentle.

"I... I think I just want you to stay where you are..." Kurt snorted softly, looking away. "... I packed his bag to come here, after all... I... I can do it again..." he mumbled, though he didn't look so sure. Burt was silent for a moment before he tugged Kurt a little closer.

"... They're going to get him back, Kurt... The NYPD is really good and officer Williams said they'd already managed to trace the call from your phone, remember...? They'll get him back in no time." Kurt said nothing, closing his eyes and inhaling sharply as Burt continued. "They got the report so quick, and Blaine told them so much about the men and the car, son... I know this is a really scary time but they're going to get him back, and those bastards will go to jail." After a few moments Kurt nodded sharply and opened his eyes again.

"... Thanks, dad..." he breathed out, his hand gently touching his father's before he pulled away to stand, moving to the wardrobe and opening it, bringing out Blaine's suitcase and putting it on the floor, unzipping it. He took another deep breath and, under the concerned eyes of his father, started to take down Blaine's clothes and fold them up, putting them away neatly though he was pretty much on autopilot.

"Hey," Burt said softly a few moments later, nodding to the shoes on Kurt's feet. "... Are those new?" Kurt blinked, looking down at his Gucci shoes before back up to his father, the shock of the statement momentarily distracting him from the situation.

"Y-... Yeah... How did you know...?" He asked, both eyebrows raising. Burt shrugged a shoulder and crooked a little grin.

"I dunno, I just wasn't sure if I'd seen them before. Look good," he nodded, Kurt shooting him a weak but genuine smile as he folded a pair of Blaine's trousers and reverently put them in the case.

"... Thanks, dad... This sweater's new too..." he added, lips twitching into another smile as Burt snorted, holding up both hands.

"Hey, don't go expecting miracles from your old man now," he said, drawing a soft, breathy laugh from Kurt even as his fingers trembled and hovered over Blaine's Dalton jacket, folding it slowly. There was a long silence as Kurt finished putting in Blaine's clothes and shoes, going to the bathroom and bringing back Blaine's modest wash bag, slowly zipping up the case with shaking hands. His breath caught, fingers still holding onto the zip because this all just felt so _final_, like Blaine was really, really, really _gone_ and not just... _Away_ and... It all hit so close to home, so much like the time he'd watched his dad pack his mom's suitcase for the final time... And then as he packed all her things in boxes and...

"... Kurt... Can I ask you something...?" Burt said gently, leaning forwards a little with his elbows on his knees, a serious but soft look in his eyes as Kurt nodded, lifting his gaze to his father's. "... Are you and Blaine more than just friends...?" Kurt hesitated, mouth opening a little as his eyes glazed over a little. Burt sighed softly in the silence, eyes still on his son as he sensed something much more complicated than a simple yes or no answer.

"... No..." Kurt finally murmured, slumping a little as he touched Blaine's suitcase. "No... We're not, but... I..." … He looked nervously up to his dad, but all he saw in Burt's eyes was gentle concern. No awkwardness or revulsion... "... But I love him..." Kurt whispered, lower lip quivering even as his eyes flashed a little with a spark of that fierce pride and defiance Burt was so, so proud of. "And I know that... He likes me too..."

"... How d'ya know that...?" Burt asked, tone simply questioning and not accusing, or in anyway patronizing or belittling.

"There's... There's been lots of little things," Kurt murmured, hands still on Blaine's suitcase as he looked back down at them. He was now almost certain that Finn had told Burt about him and Blaine, and that Blaine was gay too. "... But... We... We went for dinner together before... Before all of this," he almost whispered, fiddling with a zip. "And..." … He was _pretty _sure his dad didn't want the details of their almost-kiss. "... He was going to say something when my phone went off..."

"... Carole, right...? She said she thought she'd interrupted something," Burt said gruffly, nodding his head and looking at his hands too.

"Mmn... But the, um... The moment was lost and... And then..." Kurt's hands slowly curled into fists. "... And then the last time I saw him was... W-Was outside the theatre..." he whispered, clamping his eyes shut as the memory of Blaine flashing him that charming smile, wearing the sweater Kurt had bought him and stepping over to the man that was about to _kidnap _him... He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I... I sh-should've s-stayed with him... I-"

"-Don't _ever_ think like that," Burt said, moving off the bed and kneeling beside Kurt, wrapping his arms around him and drawing him into a tight hug. "It's not your fault, kiddo, it's no-one's fault except for the bastards who did this. No-one knew this was going to happen and if you keep thinking about all the things you _could _have done, you'll drive yourself crazy..." he murmured, one hand gently cupping the back of Kurt's head as his son trembled, desperately fighting back his tears.

"I-I just... I-..."

"-I _know_, Kurt... I know what it's like to blame yourself for something you had no control over," Burt whispered, his voice a little hoarser as Kurt stiffened up, instantly sensing exactly what – or who – his dad was referring to.

"... D-... Dad... Mom had cancer..." Kurt mumbled softly. "You... You couldn't..."

"I know, kiddo... Believe me, I know... Just like you couldn't stop that man from taking Blaine, I couldn't have stopped your mom from getting cancer," he said softly, Kurt slumping in his arms a little. "Even if you'd been there, you couldn't have stopped him and maybe he would have taken you too..." After a long moment Kurt nodded, Burt pulling back to lock their gazes. "... The police will get him back, Kurt..."

"... I... I know," Kurt finally murmured back, nodding and looking up at his father with a little more hope in his eyes. Burt smiled softly, touching Kurt's head though he was – after years of training – careful not to mess up his hair.

"Good... And then when this is all over and in the past... I guess you'd better bring him round so I can meet him." Kurt flushed immediately, snorting a little as he looked up in surprise before gently moving away from Burt and going to his own suitcase, starting to pack that up too.

"Are you sure you can handle something like that...? I don't want you getting another heart attack," Kurt said, glancing over his shoulder as Burt laughed softly, sitting back on the bed.

"I'm just going to have to learn how to handle things 'like that'... You're not a little kid any more..."

"... Carole and you have certainly been talking a lot," Kurt said, biting back a smile as he crooked an eyebrow, Burt snorting and adjusting his cap.

"... Yeah... We have... Kurt," he said, seriousness coming back into his tone and eyes as Kurt turned to him, putting his bottles and tubs into his wash bag. "... I know that I'm not the most easy guy to talk to about personal stuff, especially stuff when it comes to... Boys," Burt murmured, obviously choosing his words carefully. "And I'm going to be honest, Kurt, because you deserve that from me at least, I'm pretty sure there are some aspects of it all that we... That _I'm_ never going to be able to talk about. The same way that I'm not going to try to talk to you about Carole and me, if you get what I mean. But you're my son, and I love you more than anyone else on this planet, and... If you ever need to talk to someone about something, then I want you to know that you can come to me and... Even if I can't help or I don't understand, I promise I'll always listen to you and be there for you, alright?"

"... Dad..." Kurt whispered, a rush of emotion hitting him as he put down his wash bag and went over to his father, hugging him and reminding himself once again how incredibly lucky he was to have such an amazing, genuine person as his dad. Even if he never took up the offer the fact that Burt, despite his understandable uncomfortableness around the subject of Kurt dating boys, had put that out there meant more than pretty much anything else he could have said. "... Thank you... And... The same here..." he murmured, gently drawing back as Burt crooked another small smile and nodded.

"Thanks, kiddo. I'll keep it in mind. Now, let's finish up here before Carole and Finn start to get worried, alright?" Kurt nodded, going back to his suitcase.

It wasn't long before the two were checking into the little hotel, a tired looking receptionist giving them their key before they made their way up to their room. Burt sighed out softly as he sat down on one of the two wide, comfortable looking beds in the small but pleasant room, putting down his suitcase as Kurt reverently put Blaine's in the corner, next to his own.

"Well," he said, taking off his cap and rubbing his head. "... Not quite the room we were just in, but not bad." Kurt flashed his dad a small smile, kneeling by his suitcase as gingerly plucking out his wash bags and pyjamas, not bothering to unpack all his things again.

"It's fine, really... I'm going to use the bathroom," he murmured, standing and going into the small room, closing the door and exhaling softly, sitting down on the edge of the small bathtub in there, putting down his wash bag and dropping his head into his palms. All he could think about was that man's harsh voice, the thud and Blaine's cry of pain before something hammered down on his iPhone and the line went dead. He exhaled raggedly, forcing himself to stand again and facing himself in the mirror, noting the puffy redness around his eyes and how his cheeks had gone from his prized porcelain skin colour to grey. He looked, quite frankly, a mess. Kurt unpacked his bag, automatically going through his bathroom routine as he washed his face and tried to keep his mind from throwing up all the awful things Blaine could be enduring right now. It all seemed so trivial, to brush his teeth when Blaine was in those men's hands, when he could be... Kurt shuddered, spitting and rinsing before turning off the taps, shoving his things back in his bag and hurrying into his pyjamas, going back into the bedroom with a look of grim determination on his face.

Blaine _couldn't_ be dead. He just couldn't be.

Burt nodded to him as Kurt put his folded clothes back in his case and quickly drew out the next day's outfit, hanging them to get rid of any creases. "You okay, kiddo...?"

"I'm fine... I'm... I'm just really tired," Kurt murmured, shooting his dad a wane smile as he grabbed his bag of creams and moisturisers, sitting at the small, not nearly as nice dresser and starting to go through his nightly ritual. Burt nodded after a moment and grabbed his own – crumpled – pyjamas before going into the bathroom himself to change. A moment later there was a knock at their door and Kurt turned, a soft frown on his lips. "Who is it...?" He called, a little hesitant to just invite someone in.

"It's Carole, sweetheart." Kurt stood, opening the door and jumping as he was immediately wrapped up in a tight hug. He dragged in a shaky breath, hugging her too before gently drawing back with another small, forced smile.

"... Hey... Dad's in the bathroom at the minute, but please come in..." he said, stepping aside to let her in and nodding at Finn who appeared behind her.

"Hey, Kurt... You doing okay...?" He asked, brows furrowed a little in concern as he squeezed Kurt's shoulder in a gesture that just a few months ago Kurt would have almost killed for. He nodded, forcing his smile back.

"... I'm fine... Really..."

"... You've, uh, got some pink stuff on your face..." Finn said, blinking at it as Kurt gently drew back, going to his dresser with a small snort.

"I know, Finn, it's meant to be there," he murmured, going back to his routine and massaging in the stray cleanser as Carole and Finn sat down on the small sofa. "... How's everyone else...?" He asked his stepbrother, looking at him in the mirror. Finn shrugged a shoulder, rubbing his cheek with his hand and sighing.

"... Shocked, I guess... Mr. Schue's got them all back in the hotel except for me, obviously... Everyone's a bit freaked out."

"... Understandable," Kurt murmured back, opening up a face mask.

"Yeah... I know that Wes and David are with Blaine's parents at the police station, 'cause they were in charge of the trip and stuff..."

"Are they okay...?" Kurt asked, looking back over to Finn as he slicked on the green goo.

"Dunno... I guess they're just as freaked as everyone... Maybe more 'cause... Apart from you, they're his best friends..." he sighed, looking to his mom who gently squeezed his knee with a small, forced smile. Kurt didn't answer, simply nodding his head and brushing his hair as he waited for the mask to set. The silence stretched until Burt came out of the bathroom in his pyjamas, smiling gently as he hugged Carole tightly and shot a concerned look to Kurt before gently sitting down on his bed. Suddenly Finn's phone buzzed and he pulled it out, opening the message.

"Oh... Um..." he looked up. "... Blaine's parents are putting on an appeal for the men to give him back tomorrow morning and they've asked Mr. Schue and Wes and David if our groups will sing at the end. They, uh, they've chosen the songs for it and Mr. Schue's organizing a quick rehearsal tomorrow morning in the theatre and he wants to know if Kurt's okay to sing, and if he is, which group he wants to be in," Finn finished breathlessly. There was a few seconds of silence as everyone looked at the back of Kurt's head.

"... Tell Mr. Schue I'll be singing with both groups," he finally said, voice soft but calm. Burt moved over to gently squeeze Kurt's shoulder as he slicked hand cream onto his palms.

"Got it," Finn murmured as he texted back. Burt sat back down next to Carole, talking to her lowly about something as Finn moved over to sit on the little stool thing next to Kurt, watching him with a mix of fascination and worry. As touching as it was, Kurt shifted a little uncomfortably, looking over to him and raising his eyebrow.

"Do you want some?" Kurt offered, holding out a little tube.

"... Uh..." Finn looked from the tube to him. "... Uh..."

This was interesting. Kurt slowly raised his other eyebrow, wondering why Finn was pulling an expression like he had to choose between kicking a puppy or a kitten. "... _Uh_... O-... Okay..." he finally mumbled, holding out his hands. Kurt blinked at him for a moment, utterly confused because the tube was clearly pink and scented and... Why the heck was Finn accepting _hand cream_? He'd meant it as a joke.

"... Alright, though its exquisiteness will be lost on you," he murmured, still looking a bit confused as he tilted the tube and squeezed out a pea-sized blob onto Finn's palms. Finn looked at it morosely before pressing his hands together and rubbing them like he'd seen Kurt do.

"... Like this...?" He asked, looking utterly lost. Kurt nodded, still blinking at Finn as if he'd grown another head. Kurt reached for another little tube, flicking it open. He saw Finn swallow out of the corner of his eye. "What's that one...?"

"... Oh, this is for your cuticles... For the bits of skin around your nails," he clarified at the blank look in Finn's eyes. "... Do you want some of this too...?"

"... Okay..." Finn said, holding out his hands again. Kurt was acutely aware of Carole and Burt watching them as he squeezed a tiny drop of the cream onto Finn's thumb and then his own, silently showing him how to apply it to his nails. It was when Finn slowly did as he was told, looking both embarrassed and defensive, realization hit Kurt and he gasped out a sudden laugh, Finn jumping as he looked up to him. "What...?"

"Finn..." Kurt said with a small, sweet smile, shaking his head. "... You're agreeing to put on these things just to make me feel better, aren't you...?"

"... Uhh..." Finn slowly went bright pink, looking awkwardly over to Burt and Carole, the latter covering her mouth with her hand as she tried not to laugh. "... Busted," he finally sighed, hanging his head as even Burt snorted gently. Kurt smiled again, it turning to a little smirk as he glanced over his shoulder to the two adults trying not to laugh at Finn's embarrassment.

"You're lucky I worked it out before I offered you a face mask," he snorted, fingers moving to peel his own off as Finn shook his head a little, still pink. "... But thank you, Finn... It means a lot that you'd do something like that for me," he murmured, gently dropping the green mask in the bin.

"... It's fine, dude... I just, I know that this is... It's really shit, and... I dunno how to help, really, so..." he shifted awkwardly, once again trying to express his feelings and failing, shooting more and more desperate looks to where Burt and Carole were pretending they couldn't hear anything.

"Finn, you've already done more than enough by just being here," Kurt said softly, slicking one last layer of cream on his cheeks as Finn's phone buzzed again, the boy clearly thankful for the distraction as he slid it out and read the message.

"Mr. Schue says it's fine for you to perform with both groups if you're up to it."

"I'll be fine, Finn." He had to be, because perhaps the kidnappers would let Blaine watch the appeal, and then he'd be able to draw some sort of strength from it... If he was able to watch th-... No. There was nothing to gain from thinking like that. He exhaled shakily and put his things away. Finn shifted softly, watching him before speaking again.

"... We won Nationals by default... Because you guys didn't perform..." Kurt blinked, looking over. He'd actually completely forgotten about the competition, the whole _point _of the trip to New York City in the first place.

".. O-... Oh... Congratulations," he murmured. Finn shook his head, crooking his little grin.

"We declined the prize... Mr. Schue said it would get rescheduled when Blaine's back and okay to perform." After a second of shocked silence Kurt snorted and nodded, shooting a tiny, short smile back.

"... That's probably for the best, you guys need all the practice you can get to beat us..." Finn laughed softly, pushing Kurt's shoulder with his elbow in an imitation of the punch he would have given the other boys if they'd cracked that joke.

"Thanks, dude," he snorted, shaking his head as Carole stood and nudged her son before hugging Kurt tightly again.

"We're going to leave you two to get some sleep now, okay...?"

"Thanks, Carole," Kurt said softly, nodding to Finn who nodded back, the two leaving. Burt gently touched Kurt's shoulder.

"Let's hit the sack, kiddo," he murmured, going to his bed and climbing in, grunting softly as he reached up to turn off his bedside light, Kurt climbing into his own bed and doing the same, the room falling into darkness. Kurt exhaled softly as he listened to his dad shift around for a few moments before silence descended, his eyes tracing patterns on the ceiling and watching lights chase each other this way and that. Could Blaine even _see_ light at the moment...?

_'I'm tied up... They... They have a gun...'_

Blaine's words played again and again in his mind, on a sickening loop that had him trembling, fingers twisting together under the duvet.

'_WHO DID YOU FUCKING CALL?'_

He felt sick, his stomach heaving as he swallowed, drawing in a sharp breath through his nose. _Anything _could have happened to Blaine. He could be hurt, unconscious...

… Blaine could be dead... Blaine could be laying in a ditch by the side of the road, a bullet in his skull or oh, god, he could have been shot and then left to die and be somewhere, slowly bleeding to death, or-...

"Kurt... Come here..." Burt's voice was soft as Kurt desperately tried to choke back a sob, shaking fingers wiping away the tears that had started falling silently down his cheeks. "... I know you're crying, Kurt..." he murmured, voice gentle if a little tired. Kurt sat up, sliding back out of his bed and going over to his dad, watching as he shuffled up. Kurt snuffled as he slowly sat down, the scene reminding him so much of after his mom had died, and how he'd climb tearfully into his dad's bed for comfort. He shifted to lay down, Burt clumsily throwing the covers over his son, the bed big enough and Kurt more than slender enough to fit them both with relative comfort. Kurt said nothing as his dad sighed out softly and wrapped an arm around him, tugging him into a hug just like when he was a kid. But he couldn't stop the tears from falling freely as he pushed his face into Burt's shoulder, clinging onto him and taking so much comfort from the simple, utterly heartfelt support his dad was giving him.

Xxx xxx xxx

Blaine was pretty sure Andreas wasn't coming back tonight, and he was pretty sure that Lukas had finally fallen asleep. He was fighting for calm, slow breaths as he tugged the last knot open from the rope around his ankles, biting back the groan of relief as he stretched his agonized, cramped legs and felt the blood rush back into his feet, wriggling his toes in his shoes. His hands were still locked together, resting in his lap as he concentrated on stretching and relieving the pressure in his limbs as much as and as quietly as he could. After a few moments he started to feel out every inch of the inside of the wardrobe, looking for anything at all that could help him.

Blaine's heart thudded heavily in his chest as his fingers brushed over a slim, protruding nail at the back, right up in a dusty corner. He gripped it immediately, feeling it out and starting to pull, twisting and wriggling, mouth moving in a silent plea for the nail to just come out already. A moment later it did and Blaine almost sagged with relief, licking his lips as he manoeuvred the two inch long nail into the lock of his handcuffs and jiggling, pressing it this way and that.

The click of the lock undoing was more beautiful than any piece of music ever written as his breath caught, a slow, shaky grin breaking out over his face as he slowly peeled off the cuffs and put them down on the floor of the wardrobe in silence. Blaine quickly moved to kneel, facing the doors as he slid his hands over them and felt for the lock.

There. With another silent plea, Blaine slid the nail into that lock and – as quietly as he could – started to move it around.

The click of that lock undoing was – for just a moment – more beautiful than even Kurt's singing. Adrenaline smashed into him, his hands trembling because if Lukas was awake and he saw this, well... He was pretty sure he'd be dead. But Lukas was so cocky, so confident and arrogant he'd completely underestimated Blaine who was now mouthing 'courage' to himself as he slowly – oh so slowly – pushed open the doors.

The room was dark, a tiny amount of light shining from a muted television on the floor beside the 'bed'. The bed on which Lukas was, flat on his back and snoring softly. Asleep. Blaine swallowed down a noise of relief, his nerves and adrenaline kicking up into a whole new level as he slid one foot from the wardrobe onto the floor. Two feet. He stood. He was shaking as he silently closed the doors behind him and, eyes flicking frantically from the filthy floor to Lukas' sleeping body, started to creep towards the bedroom door.

Blaine's whole body was actually thrumming with his heartbeat, his breathing coming in short, sharp inhales as he edged closer and closer to the door, avoiding rubbish and moving as silently as he possibly could. He honestly had never felt this terrified before, knowing his life was literally on the line. Sweat beaded on his brow, sliding down his temple as his hands shook, clammy in contrast to his utterly dry mouth as he gently gripped the handle of the bedroom door and turned it.

It swung open with only the softest sigh of movement. This was too easy, surely this was too easy, was he actually asleep and dreaming that he was doing this...? Blaine's stomach was twisting and writhing and curling, every nerve and sense on edge as he slid his body through the door and glanced back at the still sleeping Lukas with one last terrified, disbelieving look before he silently closed said door again.

He'd done it. He'd actually done it. He'd got out. Blaine turned and padded his way over to the front door, each breath rattling in his throat as he gripped the dirty handle of the front door and pushed down, pulling it open.

The scream of a thousand car horns erupted out of a small, black box by the corner of the door as Blaine activated the alarm, the noise scaring him so much that he cried out before he could help it and bite off the noise, the door handle breaking in his hand as he froze in horror, a void seeming to suck every ounce of everything he had from the bottom of his stomach.

It was the muffled curse and the bang from the other room that had Blaine flinging himself forwards, sprinting as fast as he could away from the shack, towards a road, people, help, _anything._ Each breath he tore in hurt, his legs and arms pounding as he ran into the dark, not glancing back as he heard Lukas scream something incomprehensible.

And then something hit his right shoulder like a bus, slamming him down onto the ground with a muffled yell of surprise and pain, agony searing through him and knocking all the breath from his lungs as he wheezed, jerking as he forced himself to sit up a little, his hand shaking manically as he touched his shoulder, fingers coming away hot and wet. He stared at the dark liquid with huge eyes, the moonlight flitting over him as he struggled to breathe, each heart beat sending another wave of pain through him. Blaine barely had time to blink before Lukas was grabbing his hair and slamming the butt of his gun into the middle of Blaine's forehead with enough strength to actually make him black out for a few seconds, the man screaming incoherent words and sentences at him. Blaine blinked up at him, almost stupidly because all he could feel was pain, Lukas bringing the gun cracking back across his face, still shouting. Everything was fuzzy, the noise tuning out as he watched Lukas hit again and again, even the pain fading out as something seemed to grab his very mind and close its fist around it. It took one more glancing blow to the temple before Blaine slumped, unconscious.

"_YOU LITTLE SHIT, TRYING TO RUN AWAY! I SHOULD HAVE FUCKING AIMED FOR YOUR DAMN HEAD!_" Lukas hauled him up, absolutely furious at the limp boy in his arms. "_Damn it_!" he hissed out, slinging Blaine roughly over his shoulder and storming back to the shack, resetting the alarm and flicking on the light.

Xxx xxx xxx

"_Hey_. Wake up, Blaine. You're not going to want to miss this," Lukas smirked, lightly slapping Blaine's cheek over and over again until the boy groaned with pain, rolling his head away from the hits. The moment he'd woken up, he could honestly say he'd never felt worse in his life. Everything hurt. Literally everything hurt. Blaine groaned softly, trying to open his eyes but one was definitely swollen shut, and even opening his mouth to _breathe _hurt. He couldn't remember what had happened, where he was or what was going on. All he knew was that it felt like someone had knocked a hole in his back and, as he finally managed to blink sickly down at himself, his clothes were muddy, ripped and soaked in dried blood. He'd been tied to a chair by his ankles and wrists, another rope around his neck again to keep him there along with one around his middle to keep him upright.

"... Wh-..." he croaked, his throat raw and mouth almost immobile as he trembled, it all coming back. The van, the gun, the phone, the wardrobe, the... Blaine's breathing sped up as he slowly turned his head to the right, wincing as agony ripped through him. The sleeve of his shirt and sweater had been ripped off, exposing his arm and shoulder, the latter swathed in a dirty looking bandage. A dirty, blood-stained bandage.

It took Blaine another few seconds to realize that he'd been shot. That he'd actually been shot, and somewhere in his shoulder was a bullet. Lukas had shot him and then... He could remember the gun smashing down and down across his face and-...

"-_Hey_," Lukas said, shaking his good shoulder. "Look at the fucking TV, Blaine," he snapped, clicking his fingers in its direction as Blaine numbly turned his head to look, each breath sending another spasm of pain through him as he focused his open eye on the small screen that had been pushed near him, sitting up on a table.

"And so," the fat reporter said with a grim face, "we're cutting now to the live appeal for the safe return of Blaine Anderson, aged 17." Blaine blinked dumbly at the photo of himself that had appeared, beaming and in his Dalton uniform, hair gelled back and skin perfect. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the number on the screen now. Thank you." The picture changed and Blaine gasped softly, a completely different pain racking him as the camera zoomed in on his mother and father sitting at a table, his mother in tears and his dad looking pale and worn down. There were a few seconds of silence before his dad took a deep breath and started to speak.

"... My name is Matthew Anderson, and I am Blaine's father," he said, voice a calm but flat tone as he fought to keep his emotions under control. "My wife and I are making an appeal to the men who have stolen my son. Please, let him go. He's just an innocent child and he doesn't deserve this. We... We don't know why you've taken him from us and we don't know what you want, but please just let him go." He swallowed heavily. "If you're doing this for a reason then please, please give us a sign that he's alive and we can negotiate a deal."

"Smart man, your daddy," Lukas smirked, his hand idly spinning the gun as Blaine fought to keep conscious, eyes riveted on his parent's faces as his mother sobbed into a tissue.

"... Blaine... If you're watching this... We love you, and it's going to be okay. You just need to hold on a bit longer, and you'll be home soon." Blaine was trembling softly as he watched his father squeeze his eyes closed, inhaling sharply. He'd never, _ever _seen his dad cry. "... You need to be strong, Blaine..." he said, gripping his wife's hand as she nodded tearfully, her pretty face hidden beneath her hand. A police officer cleared his throat, addressing the public with another plea for information before the camera went back to Blaine's father. "Blaine, I know if you were here right now and it was someone else who'd gone missing, you would have wanted to do this for them... Be brave," he murmured, choking up a little as the camera panned to the other side of the room.

Blaine exhaled shakily, leaning forwards in his chair a little and squinting at the screen, at all his friends from Dalton standing together as – his heart thudded loudly and painfully in his chest – Kurt stepped forwards. His clothes and hair were impeccable as always, the sight so comforting that the corner of his aching lips twitched. But Kurt's face was a greenish white colour, his eyes far too bright as he took a breath, looking right into the camera, somehow their gazes locking despite the miles and machinery between them.

The Warblers started to sing, taking a low, sweet, gentle lilting tone to their voices as they took the musical accompaniment in their wonderful, acapella style. Kurt opened his mouth with only the barest quiver of his lips.

"_Don't lose your way with each passing day, you've come so far, don't throw it away..._"

His voice was utterly angelic, the tiny tremor in his voice surely enough to tug even the most iced over heartstrings. Blaine swallowed against the rock suddenly lodged in his throat as he kept his gaze locked on Kurt's eyes, the pain and terror there, not knowing whether or not he was singing to someone already gone.

"_Live believing dreams are for weaving, wonders are waiting to start... Live your story, faith, hope and glory... Hold to the truth in your heart..._"

Blaine could see that Adam was already in tears, David reaching over and wrapping an arm around the youngest member of the Warblers, somehow managing to keep the music together even as Kurt's breath caught audibly, brow creasing in pain.

"_If we hold on together, I know our dreams will never die... Dreams see us through to forever... Where clouds roll by, for you and I..._"

Kurt seemed to pull himself together a little, his voice a touch stronger as he fought back tears. Blaine couldn't be dead. Somehow he just... He just felt that Blaine was alive and watching this, and that for once he had to be the strong one. The one to give Blaine courage.

"_Souls in the wind must learn how to bend, seek out a star, hold on to the end... Valley, mountain, there is a fountain that washes our tears all away... Words are swaying, we all are praying, please come home safely __today..._"

Wes ducked his head, rubbing the back of his knuckles along his eyes as Kurt seemed to draw himself up a little more, tears sparkling on his eyelashes as he fought the tremor out of his voice. Blaine swallowed again, blinking painfully as the first tear rolled down his aching, swollen cheek. He _had_ to survive this and get home.

"_If we hold on together, I know our dreams will never die... Dreams see us through to forever... Where clouds roll by, for you and I..._"

And then Kurt was raising his arms, the Warblers somehow seeming to draw on hidden reserves of power, pulling together in a way that made Blaine's chest tighten with pride, because if he was there trying to sing to a missing Kurt... He didn't know if he'd be able to. He flinched as the door opened and Andreas came in with something in his hands, handing it over to Lukas who took off Blaine's bandages and opened the little bag, drawing out things to treat the wound in silence.

He needed Blaine alive. For now, at least.

"_When you are out there in the dark just dream about the sun, in the dark you'll feel the light warm your heart, you'll have won...!_"

Blaine winced, choking back the cry of pain as Lukas swilled antiseptic over the wound on his shoulder, the pain almost blinding as he gasped for breath, struggling for something to anchor him. He locked onto Kurt's voice, his beautiful, pure voice, breathing through clenched teeth as he let the music flood his brain.

"_If we hold on together, I know our dreams will never die... Dreams see us through to forever, as high as souls can fly... Where clouds roll by, for you and I..."_

The last note slowly faded out, Kurt drawing a deep breath as the Warblers stepped aside. Blaine forced his eye open, still coughing back pained noises as agony crashed through his system from the rough 'treatment' he was receiving. Kurt didn't move and a second later, New Directions were taking their place behind him. Several of the girls were already in tears, even Mr. Schue standing up there with them and looking on the verge of tears himself. There were a few seconds of silence, Blaine belatedly realizing that they were going to start singing for him again, and Kurt would be taking the solo. With a nod from the slender boy, looking so vulnerable and yet so strong in front of them, they took up the backing vocals to let Kurt lead once again.

"Andreas, get water for him," Lukas murmured, re-bandaging his shoulder as the large man left to do so.

"_We pray for your father, pray for your mother, wishing your family well... We sing songs for the wishing, of those who are kissing, and now for the missing..._"

Whereas the Warblers just provided harmonic back-up, the entirety of New Directions joined in with the chorus, Kurt closing his eyes briefly as he forced back more tears, fixing those beautiful, sharp eyes on the camera once again, Blaine flinching as Lukas messily slopped more antiseptic over his bandage.

"_So this one's for all the lost children, this one's for all the lost children, this one's for all the lost children, we're wishing you well and wishing you home..._"

One of Blaine's wrists was freed, Andreas shoving a cracked mug of water into his hand along with two strong painkillers. Blaine's fingers trembled as he took them, forcing the pills through his split and swollen lips, barely able to swallow as he gulped down the water, some trickling down his bruised jaw. Kurt had taken the lead again.

"_When you lay me down sleeping and my heart is weeping because I'm keeping a place for all the lost children..._"

Andreas took the mug back, Blaine slumping a little as exhaustion quickly set back in. It was becoming more and more of a struggle to keep his eyes open, his gaze still fixed on Kurt's face as the group sang and his hand was tied back down.

"_This is for all the lost children, this one's for all the lost children, we're wishing you well and wishing you home..._"

Kurt stepped forwards, eyes flashing with defiance in a way that made Lukas tense beside Blaine, his own narrowing.

"_Home with their fathers, snug close and warm, loving their mothers, I see the door simply wide open and we're gonna find you...!_"

"Hmn!" Lukas snorted, tossing the medical supplies onto a pile of dirty clothes. "Wishful thinking."

"_So look for all the lost children, let's look for all the lost children, just think of all the lost children, wishing them well, this is for all the lost children, this one's for all the lost children, just think of all the lost children... We're wishing you well and wishing you home..._"

Kurt slowly exhaled, silence falling in the hall as he stared into the camera, hoping that he was staring into Blaine's eyes.

"... Courage, Blaine," he murmured, voice soft and trembling as tears threatened to spill over. "Courage." The camera cut back to the policeman, once again begging for people to come forwards with information and then back to the news reporter. Lukas snorted, hitting the off switch. Blaine shuddered, finally working up the courage to speak.

"... D-... Dem-mand the money..." he gritted out, mumbled and slurred as he tried to work his bruised face. "... Th-Then... Let me g-g-..."

"-Shut up, Blaine. Do I have to shoot you in the other shoulder?" Lukas snarled, Blaine going silent again as the man turned back to Andreas, speaking lowly in what had to be their native tongue, utterly incomprehensible to Blaine.

"_They know too much, Andreas, we have to demand the money now. For tonight._"

"_But Lukas, it's not all set up properly...!_"

"_We'll have to take the risk. You set up the decoy last night, didn't you? It'll be fine. We'll let him release a statement showing he's alive but hurt so they don't fuck up._"

"_... Fine._" Andreas turned, going into another room and soon coming back with a small laptop and a web-cam, starting to plug it all into a single outlet in the wall, taking out the television as Lukas forced Blaine's head up.

"Alright, Blaine, listen closely. We're going to send our demands to the police through you." He pulled out a small radio with an earphone, shoving the bud in Blaine's ear and ignoring the boy's wince as he drew back, moving out of the camera's line of sight and nodding, crossing his arms as Andreas pressed a few buttons. Blaine jumped as Lukas' voice suddenly came over the headphones, instructing him on exactly what to say. He gulped in a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"... My name... Is... Blaine An-... Anderson..." he gritted out, each word a painful struggle though the aspirin were starting to take the edge off, shoulder still throbbing. "... I am... Being... H-Held for... Ransom... For... Five m-million dollars... If you... Pay... They'll let m-... Me go..." Lukas stepped up to Blaine, his face hidden behind a black ski mask, padded out in a thick jacket and a machine to his mouth that distorted his voice as he started speaking, explaining in a cold, clear manner how the money was to be handed over. Blaine zoned out his voice, concentrating on the camera as he swallowed, licking his stinging lips before crooking them into a weak, brave smile. Lukas drew out his gun and grabbed Blaine, shoving him over to show the bandages on his shoulder, blood already oozing through them as Blaine winced, smile faltering.

"I've shot him once and if you don't pay up, the next bullet will go right here," he smirked, pressing the gun back to Blaine's forehead. Blaine exhaled shakily, not looking up at the gun as he was moved back into his previous sitting position. Blaine opened his mouth, hesitating only for a second before crooking a grin.

"... A-And tell everyone that they sung awesomely, e-... Especially Kurt," he said, the last word cut off by a short cry as Lukas roughly batted at his jaw with a low snarl, warning for him to shut up. Andreas turned off the camera and started typing as Lukas looked coldly down at Blaine.

"... You're really, _really_ starting to piss me off, Blaine. I'm beginning to hope your daddy doesn't pay because I've got five bullets left and I want to shoot every damn one into you," he growled. Blaine bit back a shudder, looking away and exhaling softly. They'd pay, and he'd be fine. He closed his eyes as his chair was picked up and shoved into the wardrobe, the door shutting and locking again as he slumped in the blackness, leaning his head against the wall and conjuring up the image of Kurt's face in his mind, slowly replaying his singing and his words.

He just had to have courage.


	5. Bang Bang My Baby Shot Me Down part b

Kurt jumped as David burst into the room that the Warblers, New Directions and his parents were in, silently eating the food that been given to them. Blaine's parents had been ushered out a few hours back and a moment or two ago, David had excused himself to go to the toilet.

"Blaine's alive!" he gasped, eyes wide and his face breaking out into a huge beam as everyone froze, staring at him before all hell broke loose, noise exploding out and plates toppling over as people leaped up, the girls – and a few boys – screaming out and hugging each other tightly, Kurt bursting into silent tears - hands covering his face as he shook with relief, Burt quickly pulling him into his arms with a grin, Finn clapping his brother's back and whooping. Mr. Schue was laughing, trying to subtly wipe away a stray tear, the noise dying as David held up his hands, trying to shout something over them.

"_GUYS_!" Finally everyone went quiet, looking back to him as a slightly more serious look toned down his own grin. "They've asked for a ransom."

"How much?" Puck asked as David's smile slowly disappeared.

"... They want five million dollars..."

"_Five million_? Holy _shit_!" Puck swore, the ecstatic mood that had swept the room slowly ebbing away, Mr. Schue burying his face in his hands. "Do they have that sort of money?" After a moment David nodded, but bit his lip.

"Yeah, but... The police say that they know where Blaine's being held and they're going to rescue him...!"

"Why the hell don't they just pay the freaking money? If they get it wrong those bastards'll shoot Blaine...!" Puck exclaimed, stepping forwards as Mr. Schue put his hand on his shoulder, slowly keeping the pressure there in case he did something dumb and also trying to indicate that he shouldn't be saying stuff like that in front of Kurt. David rubbed his forehead.

"... I don't know... I just overheard it and-"

"-And you shouldn't have released such classified information," came the stern voice of an officer who'd come to see what all the noise was about, holding up his hands as everyone started shouting, asking for answers. When they'd quietened down again, he spoke. "Yes, Blaine Anderson was confirmed alive around three hours ago when we received a video file from the kidnappers along with their demands. The reason that we are not paying is because we have traced the call and the video location to a small shack that thermal imagery has shown to house three individuals, and that the NYPD never, ever bow to a criminals demands." Puck gritted his teeth, clenching his fists and looking back to the crowd as Mr. Schue tugged him back warningly.

"But what if you're wrong and they shoot him?"

"Mr. Puckerman, we're not wrong. By this time tomorrow Blaine Anderson will be safe and those two men will be in jail." Another policeman stepped in, nodding his head.

"The Andersons have said that if anyone wishes to see the video sent to them, then they're to follow me. I'm going to warn you now," he said, holding up his palms as everyone stood up immediately, "it's not for the faint hearted."

No-one sat down and the man nodded, leading them into another room where the Andersons were already seated, their arms around each other and looking pale. As soon as everyone had poured in and sat awkwardly on the low benches, the TV at the head of the room, the officer stood up again, warning them once more about the content. Kurt was trembling, eyes fixed on the blank screen as Finn shifted closer, gently gripping his shoulder as Burt and Carole had sat next to the Andersons. Finally the officer turned and pressed a button.

And there was Blaine. Tied down on the chair, a mess of blood and dirt, his face a bruised, swollen mess. One eye was forced shut, several cuts on his forehead and cheeks, lip split and hair a matted mop. His clothes were muddy, stained and torn, the bandage wrapped around his shoulder the cleanest looking thing on him. There were several gasps and soft cries, some of the boys swearing softly because although Blaine was alive, he was so, so hurt. Finn squeezed again as Kurt covered his mouth with his hands, tears welling up. Blaine's voice was scratchy and weak as he spoke, the sheer amount of pain in it making Kurt feel physically sick.

And then the man came on screen and every hackle rose as they watched Blaine try to shift away from him, Puck muttering about how he'd gladly go back to juvie if he got to punch him in the face. But Blaine seemed to pull himself together a little, more clarity coming into his eyes as he crooked his lips into that brave, beautiful smile that had a weak sob tearing itself from Kurt's throat, clasping his hands together because Blaine was the most incredible, brave, astounding person he'd ever seen, sitting there grinning and _smiling _like he was trying to tell them it would all be okay. Finn swallowed, wrapping his arm around Kurt's shoulder. Everyone flinched as Blaine was shoved down, his shoulder shown and the blood seeping through the bandage.

"... No..." Kurt whispered behind his hand as the man spoke, his voice soft and smirking and so _cruel_ and Kurt had never, ever, _ever _wanted to kill someone as much as he wanted to kill this man.

"_I've shot him once and if you don't pay up, the next bullet will go right here."_

Kurt's whole body ached as he watched Blaine's smile falter, a terrifying blankness coming into his eyes as the gun was pressed to his forehead. He was vaguely aware of Mrs. Anderson sobbing again behind him and he knew that she wasn't the only one apart from him in tears as Blaine seemed to blink himself back into his own mind, looking over to the camera and smiling again despite the gun pressed to his forehead.

"_... A-And tell everyone that they sung awesomely, e-... Especially Kurt."_

Kurt gasped softly, almost a low moan of something caught between pain and shock as his his heart wrenched and skipped a beat at the same time because how – _how – _could Blaine think of anything other than himself in this situation? How could he not be a sobbing wreck, pleading for mercy and his life and how did he keep smiling even though he'd been _shot_ and...

The screen cut to static, the officer gently pressing the off switch. "That's it... We're moving in tonight, and we'll get him out and straight into hospital. The kidnappers are giving him some basic medical care, and they are keen to keep him alive." Everyone nodded dumbly, Mr. Schue standing and shepherding his students out again in a morose silence as Burt took over from Finn, gently leading Kurt away until he'd got himself back under control.

Xxx xxx xxx

"On the count of three, we move in. Both targets are in the first room, hostage is in the back. Shoot first, ask questions later. They are armed and dangerous. Got it?" There were static crackles of agreement from his team, each one armed to the teeth. "One... Two... _Three_!" They moved like a wave of shadow, smashing into the door and sending it splintering aside.

Lukas twisted in his seat as the alarm blared, Blaine jolting from the sleep he'd fallen into in the wardrobe, his heart hammering as he looked around.

The leader of the police team strode forwards, roaring out as he held up his gun. "THIS IS THE POLICE, PUT YOUR HANDS-" he froze, eyes going wide as he stared at the two dummies in the air. "... No... _Shit_...! No!" The rest of the men pushed in, freezing too before one stepped forwards, ripping open a jacket to reveal battery run heat packs all over them, making them look like they were alive, warm bodies. The room was full of wires and pulleys, a motor turning gently. The police watched in horrified as one of the wires moved, dragging a body along into the bathroom. "... They... They fucking got us... _Shit_!"

Lukas burst out laughing, whooping as he held his sides, Andreas shaking his head as the man ran into the bedroom, opening the door of the wardrobe with a bang, Blaine jumping as light flooded the small space, looking up at him with fear shining in his eyes. "Looks like mommy and daddy decided to go the police route, Blaine! The police just busted into our decoy house and set off the alarm!" he gripped Blaine's chin, the boy gasping in pain. "Better spend tonight saying your prayers, Blaine, because it's your last one alive." He laughed, shoving Blaine's head away and slamming the doors shut, leaving him in the dark again.

Blaine swallowed, eyes huge and staring at the ceiling as he started to tremble, taking a good five minutes to process Lukas' words. This was it. That was that. Tomorrow morning, he'd be shot. He'd die. He'd _die_. He closed his eyes, the tears slowly starting to roll down his cheeks as he ducked his head, chest juddering in the dark of the wardrobe. Why... _Why_ hadn't his parents paid...? Wasn't his life worth it...? He knew that his father wasn't at all happy with his son's sexuality, but surely, _surely, _they'd still want him alive...? Apparently not because... Because they simply hadn't, and they'd made a mistake, and now he'd pay for it with his life. He could still hear Lukas laughing and shouting throughout the house, the fact that he was _eager_ to murder him making his stomach clench sickly.

… He'd never even got to say goodbye...

Suddenly Blaine twisted, slamming his good shoulder into the door again and again until Lukas came over, throwing it open with a snarl. "_What_! Do you want me to kill you now or something?" Blaine gritted his teeth, cheeks damp with tears he refused to let spill in front of this man.

"If you're going to kill me," he choked out, "then send them another recording letting... Letting me say goodbye..." Lukas was silent for a few seconds, eyes narrowing before he smirked.

"... I'll let you do better than that, Blaine, for old times sake. I'll let you stream a goodbye live, and I'll let you sing your goodbye. Then... _Bang_." Blaine flinched back as Lukas pressed his finger to Blaine's forehead.

"... Fine..." he whispered, clamping his eyes shut. "... B-... But I need a guitar..."

"Fine. Sleep well, Blaine," Lukas smirked, closing the door again and leaving Blaine in the dark.

Xxx xxx xxx

Wes slowly sat down on his single bed, looking over to David who was slowly turning his DS in his hands, sitting on the chair by the window. "... Well, we did a really great job as leaders, didn't we?" he said, his sarcasm biting as he dropped his head in his hands. "... We should have stayed with him or... Or told him to get inside..."

"... There's no use thinking about that..." David murmured, putting down his DS and staring out onto the street below.

"... But you are, right...?"

"... We all are..." David murmured back, running his hands along his head. "... Do you remember the first time we met him...?" Wes snorted softly, unable to hide the small smile.

"... Of course... He was in that games shop where we we'd sneaked out of school to get Halo, and he'd snagged the last copy..."

"... But he was dollar short, so he sung that song to the cashier,-"

"-Still Alive, from Portal, because he'd overheard the guy talking about it,-"

"-And the guy had let him have it for free," David finished, turning in his seat to grin softly at Wes.

"Yeah," he laughed, nodding back to David. "... And then he turned around, and he had this big, black eye and that huge grin on his face, clutching the game like it was some sort of trophy..." David snorted softly, looking back out the window and rubbing his temple.

"Yeah... And then he saw us by the empty rack and realized we'd come for the game too, and he'd got the last one..."

"He actually looked upset. Not victorious or gloating or smirking... He didn't know us at all, but he looked so guilty," David grinned, watching the people go by on the street below them, eyes following a couple with their young child in its father's arms. Wes came over, slowly sitting in the chair next to David and looking out too.

"... And then he asked us if we'd snuck out of school to get the new Halo game too," Wes smiled, the memory as clear as if it had happened yesterday, and not when they were fourteen.

"And you took one look at him and knew something was up," David laughed, nudging his best friend softly. "So we all went to get coffee,-"

"-Just like with Kurt," Wes snorted, knowing how clear the parallels between the two boys were, and how much Kurt's story had meant to Blaine.

"And he was smiling and laughing and joking, and one of the funniest, nicest guys we'd ever met and then..." David went quiet, both of them sitting there and watching a crowd spill out from a theatre, the silence hanging over them. Wes broke it a few moments later.

"... And then he just burst into tears..."

"Yeah," David breathed, dropping his head into his palms as he remembered sitting there, hot chocolate halfway to his lips as Blaine just broke down in front of them. He remembered the horror and the influx of fear because people were looking and Wes had frozen up, the two boys too young and too teenage to know what the heck to do when people – when _boys – _just burst into tears. David had made the first move, putting down his mug and reaching over, touching his arm.

"_Hey...!" David gasped softly, looking to Wes for help as he touched Blaine's arm, the boy's face hidden beneath his curly mop of hair. "Hey, uh... It's okay, are you okay? If we said anything bad we're sorry...!"_

"_We're really sorry...!" Wes interjected, looking around in panic as people glanced over, Blaine's shoulders trembling as he looked up from David's hand to his face, eyes huge and glassy, tears pouring down his bruised cheek._

"_I'm g-gay," Blaine gasped out, almost hysterically as Wes and David froze up again – David's hand on his arm still – because what the hell did you do when someone you didn't even know said that to you? "I-I'm gay, a-and... A-And now y-you-..." Blaine cut himself off, ducking his head again as David looked over to Wes. David didn't take his hand away. In fact, he shifted a little closer because gay or not, Blaine was really cool and really, really upset._

"_... Hey... It's okay... We, uh..." He glanced over to Wes who nodded, finally reaching over and touching Blaine's other arm. "We don't mind Blaine," David continued._

"_We're not gay," Wes said quickly, "but we don't mind. My cousin's a lesbian. It's okay."_

"_Yeah, she's really cool, I've met her," David said, crooking a little grin as Blaine slowly looked up at them, his eyes huge with disbelief and cheeks mottled red, splotched with tears._

"_Y-... You're not g-going to... Hate me...?" Blaine had whispered, the vulnerability shining so clearly in his eyes. David grinned a bit wider, squeezing his arm again._

"_'Course not. How could we hate anyone who can sing the Portal song, right, Wes?"_

"_Right!" Wes nodded, grinning too as he watched hope ignite in Blaine's eyes. "Besides, you seem like a really cool guy, Blaine... Why don't you come round on Friday evening, and you can bring Halo? David's coming round too. We can have a tournament...!" He laughed as Blaine glanced between them, looking like God had come down himself and offered a hand of redemption._

"_Really...?" Blaine whispered, his voice still holding that note of terror that he was about to hit or pushed away. "... I... I really can...?"_

"_'Course! If you can make it and your parents let you," Wes grinned, him and David taking their hands back and holding napkins out to Blaine to use as tissues. "I'll give you my mobile number, and my home number, and you can ask your parents and then ring me if it's okay...!" Blaine's beam could have literally powered the sun as he took the piece of paper Wes had scribbled his numbers onto, putting it in his pocket like it was the most precious thing on earth. He flushed a little, ducking his head._

"_... Thank you so much.. I'm sorry for crying like that... I had a bad morning..." he murmured. Wes shifted, sipping his coke._

"_What happened...?"_

"_... I got locked in the lockers again," Blaine mumbled, sipping his own coffee. "... And they slammed the door and the lock bit hit my eye... I think it's bruised..."_

"_It's really, really bruised," David said, biting his lip a little as he looked at it. "Who did that to you, and why?"_

"_Just... Just some bullies at school," Blaine sighed, touching his bruised cheek. "... Because I'm gay, they... They all hate me..."_

"_... All of them...? Everyone...?" Wes asked, looking disbelieving as Blaine nodded._

"_Everyone..."_

"_... How do they know...? Because I had no idea," David said, looking to Wes who nodded._

"_Yeah, I'd never have guessed." Blaine flushed a little, fiddling with his mug._

"_... I had a journal and I accidentally put in my bag, and it fell out and someone found it and... And then by the end of the day, everyone was calling me f-... Fag and fairy and..." _

_Uh oh. Wes and David both sensed more tears, moving again to grip Blaine's arms. "Hey," David said, gently but firmly. "It's okay. They're just stupid idiots, Blaine."_

"_Yeah, they're all pricks," Wes nodded, squeezing gently as Blaine looked back up at them, that hope once again shining through, the desperate need to believe them, to believe that it was okay to be who he was and that these two boys, these two strangers who'd been so nice to him and hadn't run away screaming, were right._

"_... You guys are... Are the nicest people I've ever met..." he whispered. Wes grinned, taking his hand back and finishing his coke._

"_Yeah? Well, we're also the best at Xbox, so you'd better practice loads before Friday or we're going to totally own you...!"_

_Blaine's laugh had been – and they could say this because they were awesome and knew they were straight, so it didn't even matter what people thought of them – the most beautiful thing they'd heard; and from that moment on they'd both taken a silent vow to look after the small, lonely boy who'd (literally) sung his way into their lives. Blaine had transferred to Dalton a few months later, after an incident that had Wes and David swearing to Blaine that they'd be there for him, that they'd look after him and what had happened would never happen again while they were there. _

David slowly looked to Wes, his grin weak. "... He was so shit at Halo it wasn't even funny..." Wes snorted softly, his head turned away from David as he leaned back in his chair.

"He's _still _shit, David," Wes said, softly but with a lingering touch of humour. The room was dark now, a fan clicking into life from the bathroom. They sat in silence, neither speaking for a good five minutes before Wes closed his eyes, tipping his head back. "... I wish they'd just paid the money..."

"... His parents wanted to, it was the police who said no..." David mumbled, looking over to Wes who nodded grimly.

"... Do you think he'll make it...?" he whispered, finally opening his eyes and looking to an equally stricken David who was silent for a long time.

"... He'd better be... He still owes me $5," he murmured, trying for humour. Wes snorted, though his heart wasn't in it. Another short silence fell before Wes spoke again.

"... What if he's not...?"

"... Then we've got to look after Kurt for him," David said, his voice soft but thick with emotion as Wes nodded gently. "... And we've got to make sure he's never, ever forgotten..."

Xxx xxx xxx

Kurt was shaken awake at 3AM by his father, gasping softly before frowning, sitting up and wiping his eyes. "Dad...? What...?"

"Kurt..." Burt's voice was tight with emotion that had Kurt awake instantly, eyes widening in the dark as his father gently took his shoulders, sitting down on the bed.

"Wh-... What is it? Is it Blaine? Is he okay?" Kurt gasped out, hands suddenly clinging to his dad's arms. "He's okay, right! They got him!"

"... They set up a decoy house, Kurt... The police got the wrong one..." he murmured. Kurt froze, breath stopping in his lungs.

"What... What does that mean...?" he whispered, tears welling up instantly.

"It means that... That we might not get him back, Kurt... It means that you're going to have to try to come to terms with the fact that Blaine might not come back..." he whispered, pulling Kurt into a hug as he slumped, sobbing brokenly into his father's arms.

The next morning Burt's phone rang again and he frowned, nodding along and murmuring before hanging up, going over to Kurt who was sitting on the sofa, huddled up and silent. The boy hadn't slept a wink and you could tell, his face a pasty grey and green, hair a mess and eyes dull. "Kurt... We need to go over to the police station... They got a message from the kidnappers and the Andersons want everyone there..."

"... He's dead isn't he...?" Kurt whispered, not even looking up. Burt gently gripped his shoulder before touching the back of his head tenderly.

"... I don't know, son... They didn't tell me... Let's get you dressed and go, okay?" After a long moment Kurt nodded and stood, silently going through the motions of getting changed and brushing his hair. It didn't take long for them to get to the station, once again everyone there. They'd all heard the news, swarming around Kurt and trying to give him as much support as they could, Mercedes simply wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. A few moments later an officer came in with the Andersons.

"... As you know, by request of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, the operation last night failed." His voice was grim but calm, Mrs. Anderson bursting into fresh tears. "This morning we received a message that the men would allow Blaine to stream a live broadcast over the internet, saying his goodbyes. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson would like to offer everyone in here the chance to watch the broadcast. I have to stress, we have no control over the situation, and anything could happen." The officer paused to take a breath, looking at them all. "... And I mean anything. Please think very, very carefully about whether or not you really do want to watch this." No-one moved and the officer nodded, checking his watch. "They're due to be sending us a link-"

"-Officer?" A lady appeared. "We've just received the link."

"... Right about now," he nodded, touching Mr. Anderson's shoulder as he lead them out and nodded his head, indicating for the rest of the group to follow. They were lead into a room with more low, blank benches, two police men setting up a computer and typing things in. Kurt was shaking, Finn on one side and Mercedes the other, the latter holding his hands tight as the former kept his arm around him, though he looked just as pale and scared as everyone else, no matter how he tried to hide it. The officer sat down, more coming in to record and note and do anything they could to try and locate the boy. A window opened, a website loading.

"What the-..." breathed an officer, leaning in. A video was loading, but beside it was a chat-box that was flooded with people. It was David who broke the silence, his voice soft.

"... They've put the link on the internet... Hundreds of people are watching this," he murmured as comments scrolled by, an officer sighing as he turned on the volume.

Lukas smirked, in his ensemble from before as he stood next to Blaine, his hand clamped on the boy's good shoulder. "Show time," he murmured, Andreas nodding and hitting a button. Everyone in the station jumped as the camera suddenly flicked into life, showing Blaine once more tied to the chair. He looked utterly, utterly exhausted, but he was keeping his head up and his eyes fixed on the camera as Lukas spoke, once again distorting his voice. "We asked you for five million dollars, in exchanged for your son's life. For some reason, you decided your son wasn't worth it, and sent the police in to try and stop us! That was kind of dumb. You should have at least tried to negotiate first, right? I mean, give yourselves a bit more time to work out our decoy house, find where we were streaming from, but no." He was grinning, voice sing-song as he reached up, resting his hand on Blaine's head. "And now, he's going to pay the price for it. But...!" he grinned, ruffling Blaine's hair as the boy tried to flinch away, looking sick. "I have to say, this kid's got balls and I thought, what fun would it be to simply pop a bullet in his little head and leave him in a ditch?"

Kurt was actually vibrating, mouth hanging open as he tried to remember how to breathe and keep his heart beating at the same time. He knew he was clinging painfully tightly to Mercedes who was already crying and he felt Finn shift closer, hand trembling too as Blaine licked his lips and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"No fun at all, that's what it would be. So, I've been kind enough to let Blaine say his goodbyes the way his queer little self likes to do best. Enjoy the show, folks. It's going to be unforgettable." Lukas grinned, dropping to one knee and starting to tug the ropes free from around Blaine's wrists. Blaine exhaled, rubbing said wrists and flexing his fingers as Lukas moved off camera, coming back a second later with an old guitar, handing it over to Blaine who took it in silence, freezing as Lukas swiftly drew his gun, pressing it to Blaine's temple.

Kurt and Mrs. Anderson made two desperate, tearing noises as everyone lurched forwards, Lukas' words lilting and sickly chilling. "Manners, Blaine. Mommy and daddy are watching, remember?" Blaine gritted his teeth, slowly exhaling before he spoke.

"... Thank you," he murmured. Lukas nodded, drawing the gun back but keeping it in plain sight. Blaine slowly exhaled again before he shifted slightly in his seat, holding the guitar in his arms more firmly and turning his head to the camera.

Blaine smiled. His face was a mess of bruises, covered in dried blood and it was clear from the way his shoulder hung that he was still in incredible pain but there he was, facing a camera and knowing he was about to die, knowing his family was watching, and he was smiling. His fingers moved, strumming out a few gentle chords, testing them and Kurt knew that Blaine was dragging this out as long as he could. "... Hey," Blaine said, his voice soft but calm as he absent-mindedly tuned a few strings. "... Mom... Dad... Jess... I love you guys so much, and I know when you came to New York to see me sing, you didn't expect to see this..." he strummed out another gentle chord. Lukas had sat down, watching and seeming more than happy to go along with it, enjoying every second. "... I need you two to know that I don't blame you for what's happened, and..." he glanced over to Lukas, to the gun. His fingers trembled on the strings. "... If you guys spend the rest of your lives blaming yourself for this, it's not what I want. I want you to be happy," he said, looking back into the camera with another small smile, plucking another chord and fiddling with another string.

Adam was sobbing openly, David holding him close though it was clear that everyone in the room was either in tears, or on the verge. Even Puck was blinking rapidly, jaw set and tense as he breathed sharply through his nose. Kurt could only gasp out muffled sobs, eyes fixed on Blaine's, the boy who'd stolen his heart with a song and who was sitting there without even a stutter to his voice.

Blaine exhaled softly again, crooking a small, cheeky grin. "... Wes, David... I swear to you, I'm actually a god at Halo, I've been leading you two on for years. Honestly." David snorted, but the action sent a tear tumbling down his face as Wes buried his head in his hands for a second, shoulders shaking before he drew himself back up. "... You two were my first set of friends, and you are the ones who made me guy I am now. I'll be honest, when I first met you I thought you guys were literally angels-"

"-He gets gayer and gayer," Lukas snickered, Blaine steadfastly ignoring him and speaking over the man.

"But then you gave me a uni-brow and a moustache in permanent sharpie when I was sleeping, and I knew you were two normal, teenage boys who told me that it was okay to be who I was, and that I didn't need to live in fear and that I _could _have friends who were guys." Blaine swallowed, his eyes tearing up at his fingers trembling on the strings again as he ran his thumb down them, hitting another soft chord. David didn't even care that he was crying, he didn't care that he was supposed to be a tough, dry-eyed boy because he was sitting in a room watching one of his few best friends say goodbye before he was shot to death. Besides, Wes was crying too, the rest of the Warblers moving closer to them in an attempt to offer whatever comfort they could.

Blaine took a few shaky breaths, fingers moving out over the fretboard in silence. "... And then, just when I thought my life couldn't get any better, you appeared, Kurt."

Finn's arm tightened around Kurt as the smaller boy sobbed, the sound heart-wrenching to a such a point Puck started mouthing swear words, clamping his hands into fists and closing his eyes.

"... You looked like you'd stepped straight from McQueen's Winter collection and..." Blaine closed his eyes, snorting as he struck another chord. "... There are so many things I want to say to you, Kurt... If I regret anything it's not taking my own advice and having the courage to say what I've wanted to say to you since we sang together at Christmas." Blaine looked up again, a determined light in his eyes and a tender smile on his lips that had Kurt's chest heaving with sobs. "So, I guess I'd better sing now," Blaine murmured, glancing over as Lukas stood and stretched.

"Finally. I was starting to get bored." Blaine swallowed, looking up to him.

"... Can you please untie my ankles...? I need them to tap out the beat." Lukas hesitated before shrugging, kneeling down and doing as asked.

"Why the hell not? It's not like you can run away. That didn't turn out so well the first time, after all," he smirked, standing back as Blaine wriggled his feet and shifted in his chair, ignoring him and smiling at the camera again, but this time his eyes were a lot glassier, and his lips were trembling just a little. Burt had moved, Mercedes graciously shifting aside to let Kurt's father hold his son close. Blaine took a deep breath and started to play.

Despite the old guitar and his foot the only thing keeping the beat, as well as the fact that Blaine hadn't practised at all, the song was instantly recognizable as he hummed along until the intro was over, looking up and into the camera as he sang.

"_I want to break free, I want to break free, I want to break free from your ties, I'm so goddamn terrified I can't stand you... I've got to break free... God knows, god knows I want to break free..._"

This was it. This was the last time Kurt was ever going to hear Blaine's voice, to see his face. Tears were rushing down his cheeks; and Blaine was so, so brave, his voice was beautiful and strong as ever, his skills on the guitar breath-taking and... He was literally the most amazing creature ever to be put on the planet, and so cruelly snatched away again. Blaine's eyes fixed on the camera, somehow fixing on Kurt's as he stopped breathing to listen.

"_I've fallen in love... I've fallen in love for the first time, and this time I know it's for real... I've fallen in love, yeah, god knows, god knows I've fallen in love..._"

Burt's arm tightened around Kurt as he slumped, another weak sob slipping past his lips as Blaine swayed in his chair, bruised, shot and bloody and still with so much stage-presence, so much _life _to him.

"_It's strange but it's true... I can't get over the way you love me like you do and I have to be sure that I run out that door... Oh how I want to be free, baby, oh how I want to be free, oh how I want to break free...!_"

Mrs. Anderson was sobbing almost hysterically as she clung to her husband, Blaine tipping his head back a little as he sang his heart out, knowing that it was his last chance, his last song. He smiled softly, eyes fixing back on the camera.

"_But life still goes on... You must get used to, living without, living without, living without me by your side... You don't want to live alone, hey...God knows, you can't make it on your own... So baby can't you see, I've got to break free._"

Lukas stepped forwards, silently pressing the gun to Blaine's temple, the boy striking an off chord and missing a beat as he flinched but kept playing, keeping his eyes focused on the camera even as his body shook, the terror coming into his voice. Everyone had frozen, their very breath stopped in their lungs as Lukas slowly flicked off the safety catch because this was it, this was _it_ and Kurt was going to be sick, he couldn't watch, he _had _to watch, he had to look away, he _couldn't_ look away, Blaine was shaking, his voice cracking.

"_I've got to break free... I want to break free, yeah... I want, I want, I want to break free... God knows, gods know, gods know... I want to-!_"

Blaine twisted just the second Lukas looked to the camera with a smirk, lifting the guitar up by the neck with speed that had everyone in the small room leaping to their feet as Blaine brought the instrument slamming into Lukas, the man shouting and the gun going off in the camera's direction. A startled grunt was choked out as someone smashed into the camera, knocking it to the floor and spinning it to face a corner as the sound of Blaine's guitar hitting something rang out, a chaos of noise and swearing – Blaine shouting and the man shouting and then another shot echoed, and someone screamed, the camera getting jolted by something a split-second afterwards.

The video on screen cut to static.

A/N: Augh! Don't hate me for another cliff-hanger! I just can't help myself. I know this chapter is Dark with a capital D, but I promise that there will be fluff and stuff in the next chapter 3 I can't thank you all enough for the simply astounding support you give me, and to my amazing beta who keeps me sane and on the right track! Please don't hesitate to leave me a comment~ I won't beg for reviews, but they certainly make me beam.

Also, I'd just like to put it out there that I do have a Glee-centric Tumblr account under the url gleekilicious, and you're more than welcome to follow me as I might well blog about fic updates and so on!


	6. Going Home Theme Of A Local Hero part a

A/N: Thank you so much for all your support, and thank you so much for waiting patiently for this chapter after I left the last on such a cliffhanger! I hope this makes up for it ;D!

The three songs you will need are:

.com/watch?v=l9Nc0FAk74c – I'll Be There For You – The Rembrandts

.com/watch?v=6oKUTOLSeMM – Hungry Eyes – Patrick Swayze

.com/watch?v=K7XLnxKlYEo – Can You Feel The Love Tonight – The Lion King

Mega thanks to my beta~! I couldn't do it without you~! Please enjoy this chapter!

xxx xxx xxx xxx

Blaine cried out in pain as he slammed the guitar up into Lukas, his shoulder wrenching and fresh blood trickling down his back the second he moved, the bullet missing his head by a hair's breadth as the gun went off and he stood, the chair still tied to him and the guitar arching through the air again to slam into Lukas, noting out the corner of his eye that Andreas was down, laying still on the ground over the computer and suddenly Lukas was falling, both of them shouting, the gun flying out the man's hand as Blaine lunged, the weapon going off between his fingers and the computer blowing up into a thousand sparks just after Lukas had screamed.

The room went silent, Blaine shaking visibly and his chest heaving as he levelled the gun at Lukas' head, the man laying on the floor and panting harshly, looking up with huge eyes. "_Don't move_," Blaine gasped, feeling warm trickles of blood slide down his back, the whole right side of his body throbbing in almost blinding pain, his finger tight around the trigger. "D-Don't move, or I'll shoot, I swear I'll shoot you," he gritted out. Lukas slowly, oh so slowly, raised both his hands, his face pale and furious.

"... Put down the gun, Blaine...-" he murmured, trying to keep his own voice calm, flinching back as Blaine took a step towards him, his voice tight with pain and fear.

"-Get into the wardrobe. _Now_!" Lukas clenched his jaw, slowly edging back and towards the wardrobe, Blaine keeping the gun out of his reach and trained on Lukas' head.

"You couldn't shoot me, Blaine," he suddenly sneered, though he was still edging back, Blaine following him slowly. He snorted, fighting to keep the gun steady, adrenaline and fear managing to dampen down the pain for the moment, his body in complete survival mode as Lukas slowly pushed himself into the wardrobe.

"If it's my life or yours, I'll shoot you," Blaine choked out, the chair dragging behind him through the rubbish as Lukas growled dangerously, doing as he was forced to do and huddling up in the bloodstained cupboard, just as Blaine had done.

"... I swear to god, Blaine, I'm going to find you," he whispered, eyes shining with hungry, manic light, "and I'm going to kill you. I'm going to-"

-Blaine slammed the wardrobe shut, twisting the key in the lock and leaping back, gasping for breath as he kept the gun pointing at the wooden doors. Suddenly he remembered the second person in the room and twisted around, eyes going huge as he froze. Andreas was laying face down, in a steadily growing pool of blood. His stomach heaved and, had it had anything in it, Blaine would have thrown up. Somehow he managed to force the bile back down, fingers going to the knot tying the chair to him and quickly tugging it open, shoving the piece of furniture away and onto the floor, his eyes flicking from the body to his fingers fumbling with rope as he did because Andreas was not moving, not even a little, not even... Breathing... He jumped as Lukas suddenly banged loudly on the inside of the wardrobe, the whole thing shaking with the hit.

Blaine turned and ran, not even flinching when the alarm blared as he threw open the door and continued outside, freezing for a second before wrenching open the door of the van and scrambling inside the front seat, a choking gasp of relief leaving him as he twisted the keys that had been left in the ignition, feeling the engine beneath him grind into life. His hands were shaking, the right one almost useless as he forced the van into gear and hit the accelerator. His vision was swimming, legs cramping and numb, the gun laying beside him as he drove away, tearing down the dirt track and away from the shack, slamming on the hazard lights. He prayed he was heading for the road, his heart hammering as he kept checking his rear view mirror, making sure Lukas wasn't running after him, making sure he'd really done it, he'd really gotten away. The road twisted suddenly and Blaine jerked the wheel, almost flipping the vehicle as he turned the corner, the road suddenly becoming winding and turning, running through a deep forest. The road was barely visible, bumpy and rough and Blaine knew he was driving too fast but nothing in the world could make him take his foot off the accelerator.

He couldn't have been driving for more than fifteen minutes but it felt like hours, the panic and the pain and the nausea rising in him with each second, his vision blurring because he was still bleeding, damn it, the van swerving over the road before he turned another corner and hit the brakes hard enough to throw himself forwards, jamming painfully into the wheel with a grunt of pain. There, in front of him, was a house. A little house, with a garden, and a car sitting outside. Blaine twisted the keys roughly, killing the engine and scrambling out of the van again, his breathing ragged and his vision cutting out, the world swinging sickeningly under his feet as he staggered towards the house and clumsily pawed at the doorbell, clutching the wall as he heard footsteps get closer and closer until the door was opened and a kindly looking, middle-aged woman stood there.

"Hello, wh-... O-... Oh my god...!" she gasped, going white as Blaine swayed, fighting to keep conscious.

"Please," he gasped out, suddenly aware his split lip was bleeding too, "I... I need to... Use your... Phone... Police..." Blaine suddenly swooned, the woman reaching out and gently steadying his arms as she called over her shoulder.

"_BILL_! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!" A moment later a large, sleepy looking man with a beard appeared, his own eyes widening as he saw his wife propping up a bleeding, almost unconscious boy.

"Holy shit...! Is that the kid from the news?" He gasped, rushing past her and helping Blaine to stand. "It's alright, son! We've got you, it's alright, you're going to be okay," he said firmly, almost picking Blaine up as he helped him inside, the woman rushing off to phone the police. Blaine's head lolled back, eyelids flickering as he struggled against the void threatening to pull him under. "Blaine, right? Your name's Blaine, isn't it? Come on, son, stay awake," he said, sitting Blaine gently down on a chair in the kitchen, his wife babbling into the phone while she rushed to make tea at the same time. Blaine nodded blearily, the man still supporting his weight.

"... I'm... Blaine..." he mumbled, closing his eyes, the adrenaline slowly wearing off, the pain and exhaustion kicking in violently. "... I... I didn't... I..."

"It's alright, Blaine, it's okay, just try to stay awake. Mary...! Are the police coming?"

"They're on their way right now. Sweetie, Blaine, try to drink this, it's just some tea," she said, gently putting a small, steaming mug into Blaine's hand as the boy forced his eyes open again, looking to the mug and raising it slowly, hand shaking violently as he tried to sip it, mumbling out an almost incoherent thank you. The tea was hot, sweet and so full of taste that Blaine actually felt stunned for a moment, the shock of the whole situation suddenly starting to sink in.

"Woah, son... Careful..." Bill murmured, steadying Blaine's hand as he started to shake more violently. "You're alright, you're safe now... The police are coming and they're going to take you to a hospital, and then you'll go home to your family and friends, okay...?" he said gently, Mary a little tearful as she gently took Blaine's other hand.

"You're going to be okay..." she whispered as Blaine dipped his head weakly in a nod at her, taking another gulp of the tea and trying not to spill it down himself. A second later Bill stood, going over to the door as Blaine belatedly realised that he could hear sirens in the distance, getting louder and louder until there was a crunch of gravel and a few sharp raps on the door. Bill opened it immediately.

"Bill Woodhouse? I'm here because you've reportedly got Blaine Anderson with you?"

"Yes, sir, I do," Bill nodded, standing aside to let the officer in, another two inspecting the van, and leading him into the kitchen where Blaine was still sitting, breathing harshly. "It's him, officer, and Mary's calling him an ambulance," he said as the officer crouched down in front of Blaine with a friendly smile, Mary on the phone again.

"Hello there, son. Are you with me?" Blaine nodded, his whole body trembling violently as he tried to put the mug down, the officer helping him and putting a hand on Blaine's uninjured arm to keep him steady. "Keep breathing nice and calmly, Blaine. My name is Officer Brandon, okay?"

"... Y-Yes..." Blaine gritted out, the world taking a sickening lurch as his shoulder throbbed.

"Take it easy," he said softly, another officer coming in and babbling into his radio. The next twenty minutes were nothing but a hazy blur to Blaine, police officers and paramedics swarming in from seemingly nowhere – perhaps the black, foggy edges of his vision – and before he could protest or even comment he was being strapped down onto a stretcher, the medics careful to keep the pressure off his shoulder as an oxygen mask was pressed to his face and drips put into his hands. He was fighting sleep, trying to work out what was going on and where he was and what had happened, vaguely aware he was mumbling nonsense to himself as the doors of the ambulance were slammed shut, the wail of the sirens the last thing he was able to focus on. A moment later Blaine slumped, finally succumbing to the inevitable darkness.

"He's out, but stable," a medic said gently, hooking Blaine up to a few more machines as the ambulance sped towards the hospital.

xxx xxx xxx

David gently nudged Wes' shoulder and stood, putting down his untouched plate of food and murmuring something about going to the bathroom, turning and leaving the room that (once again) the Warblers, New Directions, Kurt and Finn's parents were in. It was quiet, no-one eating the bland food they'd been given, the only sounds the occasional sob or snuffle from someone. Burt gently gripped Kurt's hand, his face lined with concern. "... Kurt, you've got to eat something..." But Kurt ignored him, his eyes fixed on his plate but his gaze blank and blind, completely unseeing and unresponsive. He hadn't said a word after the camera had disconnected, Burt and Carole taking turns to try to coax any sort of response from him. David came back a moment later, sitting back down in his place with a low sigh, though he turned back to Wes.

"... Something's happened out there," he murmured, a frown furrowing his brow gently. "All the police are... Buzzing... And Jess' here too, I just saw her go into another room."

"That was quick... Did she come all the way from Chicago...?"

"Yeah... She was crying," David said softly, running his hand over his head as Wes snorted.

"I'm not surprised... What do you think happened...?" Wes asked, a sick, grim look in his eyes. "... Do you think they've found the... The bod-"

"-Don't, Wes," David said, putting down his plate again and dropping his head into his hands. "... I don't... Even want to _think _about that..."

"... Sorry..." Wes murmured, gently putting his hand on David's shoulder and squeezing. "I'll shut up n-..."

-The door flew open with a bang that had everyone jolting, even Kurt flinching and looking over as a slightly breathless, red-faced officer stood there, a beam on his face.

"We've just picked up Blaine Anderson, alive!"

There was a second of pure silence before the room exploded into chaos, Kurt sinking to his knees as everyone else leaped up, combining screaming and crying and hugging each other, even Puck subtly raked his forearm across his face before grabbing Finn in a bro-hug and clapping his back. Kurt was sobbing into his hands, shaking as his dad helped him back up, throwing his slim arms around his father's neck and just clinging to him.

Blaine was _alive_.

Finally the officer was able to command enough attention to get everyone to quieten down, the whole group hugging each other, rivals or being 'manly' be damned as the red-faced man spoke.

"He was picked up around fifteen minutes ago, and it's just been confirmed that it _is_ him. He's on his way to a hospital now, his condition is stable but critical. The Andersons have hired a bus and they want you to all come to the hospital Blaine's being taken to. They've gone on ahead, but the bus should be arriving in five minutes or so," he grinned as the group let out another cheer, Kurt pulling away and burying his face in his hands, beaming even as he cried. Blaine had made it. Somehow he'd _done _it.

… Blaine was _alive_...

xxx xxx xxx

Somehow the bus managed to arrive a few seconds after Blaine's ambulance had pulled up outside the hospital, to the point where Tina had twisted in her seat, pointing at the ambulance where someone was being brought off on a stretcher and put onto a hospital trolley, shouting loudly.

"There he is! That's him!"

The bus rocked as everyone pressed to the side, banging on the windows because they could see him and he was bloody and bruised and swathed in blankets and oxygen masks and tubes but he was _there_, and he was slowly looking over – awake again – as the bus drew to a halt. Kurt was fighting tears, grinning as he pressed his hands to the window, his eyes fixed on Blaine's as the boy was pushed past the bus, blinking up at them before he beamed, raising a shaky, bloodstained hand and crooking a feeble thumbs up at all his friends. Blaine's parents and sister appeared from around the corner, running over to him and immediately taking his hands, even as the paramedics tried to rush Blaine inside. The doors of the bus opened, everyone pouring out and running after the paramedics until a nurse stopped them, the group grinding to a halt.

"Please! Everyone! You can't be here, this is for ambulances only...! You need to come round the front and wait there," she said, a little breathlessly. "He's being taken into surgery, to get the bullet removed, so you can't see him yet. I'll take you to a waiting room but please remember, this is a hospital."

Mr. Schue nodded, taking charge. "Of course, thank you," he smiled, leading the group to follow the nurse. Before long they were all crammed into a little private waiting room with the Andersons, chattering and laughing and generally celebrating, everyone smiling. Snack food from vending machines was passed around, people eating for the first time since that morning, the haunted look slowly lifting from their eyes. Jess was sitting with Wes, David, Kurt and Mercedes, still a little tearful as she talked to them after being introduced by Blaine's oldest friends, every now and then looking at Kurt for a few seconds longer than usual. Finally she pushed a strand of her dark, curly hair behind her ear – so like her brother's – and turned to Kurt, fixing her bright, intense eyes on his.

"... Kurt... Are you and Blaine... Dating...?" she asked, voice soft and gentle. Kurt flushed a little, ducking his head to pick nervously at the sweets he'd been given.

"... No, we weren't..."

"But you two... Like each other...?" she asked, the tone of her question simply inquisitive and not judging or mocking.

"It... It was never really discussed, but... Yes," he admitted, looking at his shoes. Jess smiled softly, reaching out and gently touching his wrist.

"... I think you're a much better, nicer person than Max, Kurt."

"... Max...?" Kurt asked, looking up at her and raising an eyebrow. Jess blinked.

"... Oh, he hasn't...? Oh. Sorry, I guess... Sorry, I thought he would have told you. Max was his first, and only, boyfriend."

_"I had a very brief 'relationship'," Blaine said, crooking his fingers to form the quotes, "with a boy last year. It only lasted two weeks." _

"... No, he hasn't... I know that him and... Max... Dated for two weeks last year... But I didn't know anything else... What was he like...?" Kurt asked, frowning a little. Jess sighed, glancing to where Mercedes, Wes and David were swapping jokes.

"... It's not really my place to say stuff about him, especially if Blaine hasn't said anything... But... Max was..." she wrinkled her nose, obviously trying to choose the right words. "... Difficult. I don't really know how to put it... He just had a funny air about him. He went to Dalton too, but he was a year or so older than Blaine. He made me feel really uncomfortable. I don't know what Blaine saw in him," she snorted as Kurt nibbled on a sweet, hanging on to every word.

"... What do you mean...?" he murmured when she paused.

"Well, for one, he wasn't great in the looks department," she smiled, nudging Kurt with her elbow. "Nothing like you, anyway." Kurt flushed immediately, mumbling out a little thank you as she grinned, almost _identical _to the playful, teasing grin Blaine liked to give him. "And he was... He didn't seem to have any of Blaine's interests. He wasn't into music or acting... He wasn't very _nice_. He was always... I don't know, it always seemed to me that he had Blaine curled around his little finger and he knew it. I mean, he could tell Blaine to jump and he'd ask how high, that sort of thing."

"... But why would Blaine like someone like him...?" Kurt asked, frowning softly again. It didn't make sense, the guy sounded... Awful. Jess bit her lip, leaning in a little more and murmuring softly.

"... I think that when Max appeared, Blaine was going through a pretty rough time emotionally and... When Max expressed an interest in him, he just... Went with it. Heart wide open," she said sadly, rolling her eyes. "Typically."

"... That sounds like Blaine," Kurt murmured, nodding. "The heart wide open bit, not the... Dating a guy like him bit," he added quickly as Jess snorted, squeezing his wrist.

"Don't worry, I understood. Anyway, I'm sure Blaine will tell you more when he's better," she smiled. "And like I said, I think you two would be really good together, just... I want to say 'be gentle with him', but that sounds totally inappropriate," she laughed, forcing one from Kurt too even as he blushed.

"No, um, no... I know what you mean and... I really... I will," he settled on, grimacing at how awkward he sounded even though Jess just laughed again and nodded, squeezing his wrist one final time.

"He's not as strong as he pretends he is."

A few hours later a nurse came in, smiling gently as everyone turned to look at her. "Blaine's out of surgery. He's really dopey at the moment, but the bullet's been removed and we've patched him up the best we can for the moment. Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Anderson and Jessica Anderson, if you'd like to come and see him...? We'll try and let you all see him, but he's not quite with it, and it's important he rests," she said softly as the rest of the group nodded, the Andersons tearfully standing up and following the nurse out.

Blaine was laying in the beautifully clean hospital bed, his shoulder wrapped in thick bandages and a drip in his hand, propped up by a clever arrangement of pillows that left no pressure whatsoever on his injured side. His face was bandaged too, what little skin that was showing mottled with dark bruises and swollen, one eye covered. His hair had been washed and was laying in tousled curls across the white pillow, a nurse gently tucking him in and helping him sip from a straw at some water, talking to him in a low and soothing tone as she moved carefully to avoid touching the split in his lip.

"Blaine...! Oh, god, Blaine...!" His mother reached him first, tearful and beaming as she took his free hand, bringing it to her cheek and cradling it, trying not to sob as Blaine looked up at her and cracked a weary grin. His visible eye was slightly unfocused, the nurse quietly explaining he was on a lot of morphine at the moment, and he might not make much sense.

"Mom... You're here... And dad... And Jess... You're here..." he mumbled, blinking at each of them as they pressed in close, Jess almost in tears again as she leaned in and kissed his forehead softly.

"We're all here, Blaine... And all your friends from Dalton, and New Directions, and Kurt," she smiled, gently combing her fingers through his hair. Blaine grinned up at her, closing his eye and going quiet for a few seconds.

"... Good," he finally murmured, opening his eye again and looking to his parents. "... Hey... I missed you..." Mrs. Anderson smiled softly, tearing up again as she gently cupped his cheek.

"... We missed you too, sweetheart... So much..."

"... I'm so proud of you, son," Mr. Anderson whispered, taking Blaine's hand. "You were so brave..."

"... I'm a ninja..." Blaine mumbled, eyelid drooping again. "... Courage ninja... Where's Kurt...?" he suddenly asked, seeming to pull himself together a bit more.

"He's in the waiting room with everyone else," Jess said gently, smiling down at him.

"Is he crying...?"

"Not any more," she snorted, still combing her fingers through his hair. Blaine slumped a little more into the bed, exhaling softly as his eye closed once more. "... Do you want me to go and get him, Blaine...?" Blaine didn't reply, breathing slowly and deeply. "... Blaine...?"

"... He's fallen asleep..." Mr. Anderson murmured. "... Jess, is Kurt his...?" he paused, not quite able to bring himself to say it.

"No, dad... Not yet..."

"Not yet?" He asked, frowning a little and looking to her. She looked back, keeping her gaze level with his.

"Not yet. It's going to be pretty imminent though." Mr. Anderson shook his head, squeezing his son's hand a little tighter.

"... He'll grow out of it soon enough... It's just because he's at Dalton..." Jess rolled her eyes, still stroking her fingers through his hair.

"It's not a phase, dad. You've got to accept it sooner or later."

"Jess, Matthew, can we please not have this conversation here...?" Mrs. Anderson murmured, looking up at them pleadingly. "The most important thing is that Blaine's alive, and he's going to be okay."

xxx xxx xxx

Blaine slowly blinked awake a few hours later, staring groggily at the ceiling and having absolutely no idea where he was or what was going on. The only thing he knew was that he was definitely hurting. Everywhere. Blaine shuddered, a low, pained groan slipping past his lips as he twisted his head.

"Hey, hey... Shhh... It's okay, we're here, Blaine..." Suddenly Jess appeared, gently taking his hand and smiling. "It's okay, Blaine... You're okay, you're in the hospital..."

… Hospital...? Oh. It all came flooding back, the ambulance, the couple, the van, the bod-...

"-Blaine...! It's okay, you're safe, I promise," Jess murmured, gently wiping away the tear that had slid down her little brother's cheek. "Calm down... Take deep breaths, okay...? That's it... Nice and slow... Mom and Dad have just gone to get some coffee, they're going to be right back..."

"J-Jess..." he croaked, opening his eye again and clinging a little tighter to her hand. "... I... I didn't shoot him..." She blinked, eyes widening a little before she smiled comfortingly, shifting closer.

"I know, Blaine... Don't worry, no-one thinks you shot anyone, I promise." After a moment Blaine nodded, slumping back against the pillows.

"... The gun has... It has my prints on it..." he whispered, looking up at her as she squeezed his hand. "... And I... I know that... Andreas... Is dead... But it wasn't me..." he choked out. Jess gently ran her fingers through his hair.

"I know, Blaine, don't worry... It's going to be okay, no-one thinks you shot him... I promise, no-one thinks that, okay...?"

"... Okay," he finally whispered back, looking over as the door opened, his parents coming back in and immediately rushing over.

"Blaine...! Sweetheart," Mrs. Anderson gasped, coffee forgotten. "How are you feeling...?"

"... Sore..." Blaine murmured, looking up at her. "... Really sore..."

"I'll call the nurse for some more painkillers, son," Mr. Anderson said, touching Blaine's knee before leaving the room again.

"... Is everyone still here...?" Blaine asked, looking up at his mom and sister.

"You mean the Warblers and New Directions...?" Jess said softly, smiling at him.

"Yeah..." Blaine murmured, wincing as he shifted, his shoulder sending a sharp spasm of pain through him.

"Yeah, they are..."

"Do you want to see some of them, sweetheart...?" Mrs. Anderson smiled, gently helping him sip a little more water. Blaine nodded, relaxing back after he'd drank, instantly feeling a little better.

"... Just... Wes and David and Kurt..." he murmured. "... I don't think I can deal with all of them yet..."

"No problem, bro'," Jess smiled, kissing his temple softly and letting go of his hand. "I'll go summon their presence, okay...?" Blaine shot her a small, shaky smile.

"Thanks, Jess..." Jess just winked at him, leaving the room and going to the small waiting room with a beam on her pretty face.

"Blaine's awake again, guys...! He's still a bit spacey, I don't know whether he still thinks he's a ninja," she joked, getting a few laughs, "but he wants to see Wes, David and Kurt," Jess smiled. "He needs a little more time to see everyone, though I know he really appreciates you all being here for him." The three boys stood, Kurt tearing up a little again as he shakily made his way over to her, smiling gratefully at Wes who gently squeezed his shoulder, grinning back. Jess lead them through to him with a wide smile on her face.

"Blaine...? They're here," she said gently, letting them in. Kurt's breath caught in his lungs as he saw Blaine laying there in the bed, his mom gently clutching his hand. He looked... A mess. A bruised, bandaged mess but... But he was smiling at them, his glint of his perfect white teeth seeming to shine even brighter.

"Hey..." Blaine said, his voice a little husky and pinched with pain around the edges as the three frozen boys seemed to jerk back into life, rushing over.

"Blaine...!" David gasped, halfway between a laugh and a sob as he touched his uninjured shoulder, Blaine's mom gently moving out the way but keeping close.

"Blaine, you're okay," Wes croaked, grinning so hard his face hurt as he rested his hand on Blaine's forearm, slowly sitting down on one of the three chairs Jess pushed over, David and Kurt sitting on either side. Kurt swallowed, simply trying not to burst into tears as he gently put his hand over Blaine's. What did you say to the kidnapped, shot, beaten, miraculously-alive boy you were madly in love with...?

"... Hospital green's not your colour," Kurt said before his brain could come up with something perfect and sensitive and touching to say. He snapped his mouth shut, going pink as everyone looked at him. Great going, Kurt. 'Green's not your colour'? No 'Hello, Blaine, nice to see you're alive'. 'Congratulations on not dying'. 'I'm so sorry all of this happened to you'. No. Green, apparently, was not his colour.

… Blaine laughed weakly, his eye glittering with the first spark of life since he'd been kidnapped, his fingers turning to gently curl around Kurt's wrist even as he winced with pain from the gentle laughter.

"That was totally the first thing I thought too," Blaine said, his soft, husky voice tilting with gentle, teasing sarcasm as Kurt snorted, fingers flicking up to catch the tear that had escaped.

"S-Sorry, oh, god, I can't believe I just said that..." he murmured, gently squeezing Blaine's hand back. "I just... I don't even know," Kurt snorted, shaking his head. Wes and David laughed softly, looking back to Blaine.

"... I'm so happy you're okay, Blaine..." David said gently as Wes and Kurt nodded, the latter gently sweeping his thumb over Blaine's wrist.

"Me too..." Blaine said with a small smile. "... I still can't believe that the 'plan' worked..." he murmured, shaking his head a little before wincing with pain again.

"How did you even _think _of it...?" Wes asked, his tone gentle as Blaine exhaled softly, crooking another, weaker grin.

"... I don't know, I just... I knew that if I didn't try, he'd shoot me and if I died trying, then... I died trying but... Hey... Kurt... It's okay," Blaine suddenly said, squeezing Kurt's hand as the boy shook his head, shakily blotting up the tears again.

"S-Sorry, I'm sorry, you sh-shouldn't be telling _me_ i-it's all okay," he whispered out, smiling through the tears. "I should be... Sorry, I..." Kurt settled on squeezing Blaine's hand back, their fingers slipping together a little. Wes and David shot each other a small smile, noting the way that their fingers had entwined as Blaine just smiled back at Kurt.

"If you keep crying you're going to set me off," Blaine murmured, a little glassy-eyed.

"Sorry," Kurt whispered back, cracking another smile and taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "I've stopped. Promise."

"Good," Blaine said softly, suddenly yawning and closing his visible eye. "... Sorry... I'm still pretty whacked..."

"You don't need to apologize for that, Blaine," Wes said with a small smile. "... It's amazing that you're even talking to us, right?"

"Right," David nodded, grinning a little.

"Excuse me," a smiling nurse said as she came round Blaine's other side, fingers going to a machine. "Blaine, I'm going to give you some more morphine, okay...? You might fall asleep again, but that's fine. Just relax," she said gently, pressing a few buttons. The effect was almost instant, Blaine shivering and letting out a small noise of relief, the pain lifting from him as he slumped back into the pillows, fingertips brushing Kurt's again as his visible eye drifted closed. "... How does that feel...?"

"Better..." he murmured, voice holding a slightly out of it edge. "... Thank you..." The nurse just smiled, leaving him again as Mr. Anderson sat down, glancing from Blaine's hand in Kurt's to Kurt, and then away. Blaine shifted, looking up at his three friends again and cracking another small smile. "... You guys sang really well... I couldn't have, if I were you..."

"Of course you could have," David said soothingly, smiling widely back. Blaine shook his head, looking at them but not quite seeing them, the morphine strong.

"... No... I'd be a mess... Really..." Blaine's fingers gently tightened around Kurt's, his gaze settling on Kurt's. "... You were like... An angel..." Kurt flushed, suddenly very aware that everyone was staring at him as he squeezed Blaine's hand again.

"... Thank you...?" He murmured, pulling another soft smile. "... I think the morphine's kicking in," he snorted, Wes and David laughing gently too as Blaine grinned softly, eye closing as he slowly drifted off again.

"... But don't wear dresses... Okay...? Just... Gucci... And then... … … Princess... … ..." Blaine's breathing went deep and even, hand going limp in Kurt's as the effeminate boy cleared his throat awkwardly, looking to David and Wes who were trying not to laugh. Jess giggled, gently stroking her little brother's hair.

"Damn, wish I'd got that on camera... Remember, Princess," she grinned, looking to Kurt who simply flushed more, "no dresses, okay? Just Gucci." David cracked first, burying his face in his hands as he laughed, Wes following a few seconds later.

"I swear," Kurt said, red-faced and looking everywhere except Blaine's parents, "I don't wear dresses,"

"And Blaine's never called him Princess," David added, Jess laughing again and still stroking Blaine's hair.

"Or an angel," Wes grinned, nudging Kurt before standing. "We'd better leave him to get some proper rest... Thank you so much for letting us see him," he said to Blaine's parents who just nodded, moving to sit around their son again as the three boys left, Kurt shooting a lingering, soft look to Blaine before he closed the door, following his two friends back to the waiting room. Everyone went quiet as they reappeared, smiles on their faces.

"Blaine's fallen asleep again," Kurt said, unable to keep the beam from his cheeks as it really, really hit home that Blaine was _alive _and he'd be coming home and he'd _survived_. Wes grinned, nudging Kurt again.

"He went a bit loopy when they gave him more morphine-"

"-Oh, god, Wes... Don't," Kurt groaned, immediately going pink again as Wes continued, sitting down next to Mercedes and Quinn.

"He said to Kurt that he was an angel, that he wasn't allowed to wear dresses, only Gucci, and _then_ he called Kurt 'Princess'," he grinned as Kurt sat down, bright red as everyone – even Burt – laughed.

"He said I _sang _like an angel, Wes, and he didn't call me Princess, he just _said _Princess," Kurt grumbled playfully as he leaned into Mercedes' hug. Mr. Schue stood up, smiling widely at the group.

"Seeing as Blaine's probably going to be asleep for a couple of hours, I think we should all go and get a proper lunch instead of snacking on this junk food." There was a hearty cheer, the group chattering and laughing as Mr. Schue lead them out, a nurse having given him directions to a good little diner not too far away.

xxx xxx xxx

Blaine woke up feeling generally a lot more like a human being and less like a punching bag. He blinked blearily at the ceiling, swallowing and slowly lifting a hand to his face, feeling out the swathes of bandages that covered it. That explained the lack of sight on one side, then... He just hoped that there were no scars... Blaine swallowed again, mouth disgustingly dry as he took a few deep breaths, slowly letting the events run back through his head. He'd got out... Lukas had shot Andreas... He'd driven the van to that house... And then it was all really blurry, but his parents and Jess were there... And so was Kurt and Wes and David... And now...-

"-Blaine...? Are you awake...?" Jess smiled, gently taking his hand as Blaine looked up at her, smiling softly.

"... Hey..." he croaked. "Yeah..."

"Are you thirsty...?" She asked, reaching for the cup and gently helping him drink a little after he'd nodded, Blaine slumping down a few moments later. "You always seem to wake up just as mom and dad go to get coffee," she grinned, stroking his head a little.

"Oops..." he said softly, crooking another grin and swallowing a few times, feeling much better. "... How long have I been out...?"

"Quite a while now... You slept right through the night and into the afternoon... It's about 2PM now."

"Oh... Wow... Now I feel lazy," he snorted, smiling up at his sister as she laughed.

"There's my Blaine~" she grinned playfully. "... How're you feeling...?"

"... Better," he nodded, gently squeezing her hand. "Less sore, anyway..."

"... And mentally...?"

"... I don't know... It all kind of seems like... Like it was a nightmare... I guess... I guess I'm okay...? I don't know... I haven't broken down or anything..." he murmured, frowning a little. "... I mean... I'm still just grateful that I'm alive... I guess the trauma will catch up eventually," he snorted. Jess smiled softly, still petting his hair.

"Don't worry... Mom's already booked you a private psychiatrist for when you're a bit better..."

"Jeez, thanks," Blaine snorted, but he nodded. "... It's probably for the best, right...? Avoid any possible situations..."

"Exactly," she said soothingly. "... I'm so proud of you, Blaine... If it were me there, I'd have just been a mess but... You kept on going... You kept on _smiling_... I take back every time I called you lame, okay?" Jess laughed, Blaine snorting too and looking up at her. "... You're amazing... I mean it..."

"... Thanks, Jess... But it really was just... Luck... I mean, he... He fell for untying my ankles and... If I hadn't caught the gun, then..."

"Don't take away your credit. You thought up that plan, you did it perfectly and you _survived_... You're the hero, Blaine. A regular little Super Man~" she laughed, tugging one of his curls. "No wait, was it Spider Man you were obsessed with...?" Blaine gave her his best withering look.

"Jess, don't try to be nice just because I'm in hospital. You _know _my childhood icon was Wonder Woman."

"I'll never forget the day when you were six and you came down to dinner in those blue swimming trunks-"

"-Jess, no. Seriously, shut up-"

"-mom's red bra and red high-heels,-"

"-Jess...!-"

"-covered in make-up-"

"-oh, god...-"

"-singing Wonder Woman's theme tune," she finished, grinning as Blaine groaned, covering his face with his free hand. "I seriously thought dad was going to have an aneurysm. I still have the photo somewhere. Hey," she laughed, gently prodding Blaine's head. "Maybe I should show it to Kurt~"

"_No_," Blaine laughed, looking up at her and trying to glare. "If you do, I'll show him the picture of when the camel spat in your face. Before, during _and_ after shots."

"Touché, Blaine, touché. I won't show Princess your embarrassing baby photos yet."

"... Princess...?" Blaine asked, blinking in confusion. Jess grinned.

"You don't remember...? Those were your parting words to Kurt yesterday before you passed out. You called him an angel, told him not to wear a dress, only Gucci, and then called him Princess. Is it weird I know you're blushing right now, despite the fact I can't see most of your face?"

"... Oh my god... Are you making this up...?"

"Not at all, Blaine, that's the best bit. You also thought you were a ninja before."

"... Oh, god... _Princess_? _Really_?"

"Really," she laughed. "Princess. Which is totally my new nickname for him, by the way."

"... I'm sure he'll love you for it," Blaine grumbled, looking over to the door as a nurse came in, smiling.

"You're awake...! Brilliant. Do you want to try sitting up a little...? We're going to bring you some food, okay...?"

"That'd be great," Blaine said with a small smile, grunting in light pain as the nurse and Jess gently propped him up until he was sitting. "Thanks... Hey, um..." he lifted his hand to gently touch his aching face. "... Do I have scars, or...?"

"No," the nurse smiled, Blaine exhaling in relief. "Just some pretty scary looking bruising and a few small cuts. Nothing serious, I promise. We just didn't want everyone to freak out, and the bandages are keeping the cream on your skin."

"Oh, good... That's good... I was kinda worried that you'd stitched up my eye or something."

"Don't worry," Jess said, "you'd make an awesome pirate. Capt'n Blaine, avast," she teased, Blaine giving her a gentle glare devoid of any real venom, the nurse smiling softly.

"Your friends are all here again... Do you want to see any of them...?"

After a second of mental self-examination Blaine nodded, smiling. "I'd love to, please." The nurse smiled, leaving to go and get them. It wasn't long before the whole of New Directions and the Warblers were crammed into Blaine's hospital room, chaos reigning before Mr. Schue finally managed to calm everyone down, gently touching Blaine's shoulder.

"... Blaine... It goes without saying that we're all absolutely ecstatic that you're here, and that you're one of the bravest, most amazing guys we know. Nothing any of us say could ever sum up how courageous, strong, and inspirational you are... And so, in celebration, we've prepared a little number for you." Blaine laughed softly, eye twinkling a little in delight.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Schuester... I mean it when I say that the only thing that got me through that time was all of you guys singing for me..." he said softly, looking at the group of people crowded around his bed. "I mean it... If you guys hadn't sung, I don't think Lukas would have let me do a song... So... Really, I think I owe my life to you guys," Blaine murmured, smiling at them all as Mr. Schue squeezed his good shoulder gently and backed away, everyone stepping into position, the Warblers and New Directions combined and integrated; though Kurt, Wes and David took centre stage. Artie and Puck were at the side, both armed with electric guitars that were plugged into a small, portable amp, Finn quickly setting up around a little bunch of objects that were blatantly going to act as drums. Blaine grinned a little wider, leaning back more comfortably in his bed as his shoulder twinged. With a nod and a count in from Finn, they started playing. Blaine laughed softly, glancing to Jess as he instantly recognized the tune, looking back to his friends as the Warblers – with their superior acapella skills – took most of the harmony, the stronger voices from New Directions covering the melody as Wes, David and Kurt all grinned at each other and started to sing the lyrics.

"_So no one told you life was gonna be this way, your job's a joke, you're broke, your-_"

Suddenly, Wes and David clapped their hands over Kurt's mouth who blinked, obviously having no idea what was going on as the two boys grinned at Blaine.

"_-love life's on it's way!_" 

Kurt flushed bright red, batting their hands away and shooting them scandalized looks as Blaine flushed too, trying not to laugh too hard as Kurt attempted to look like he wasn't ruffled, joining in again with one last dangerous look to the grinning boys on either side of him.

"_It's like you're always stuck in second gear, and it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year but..._"

Suddenly everyone held out their hands to Blaine, every voice coming together in perfect harmony, every face holding a true, genuine smile.

"_I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour, I'll be there for you like I've been there before, I'll be there for you 'cause you're there for me too...!_"

David stepped forwards a little, taking the main lead as he grinned at Blaine.

"_You're still in bed at ten and school began at eight, I ate your breakfast, so far... Things are going great,_"

Blaine laughed, it a common joke at breakfast that somehow David always managed to eat his breakfast, and half of his neighbour's breakfast. Which was usually Blaine. Wes took his place slightly in front of the year, smiling softly as he sang.

"_Your mother warned you there'd be days like these... Oh but she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees that..._"

And then everyone was singing again, that glorious wall of sound echoing around and around the room.

"_I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour, I'll be there for you like I've been there before, I'll be there for you 'cause you're there for me too...!_"

Kurt stepped forwards, something softening in his eyes as he looked at Blaine, somehow feeling as if the rest of the world had seeped out around the edges, just leaving them in the room as Blaine smiled tenderly back at Kurt.

"_No one could ever know me... No one could ever see me... Seems you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me..._"

He smiled a little wider, oblivious as Wes and David grinned, holding their hands to be little heart shapes behind him, making Blaine flush beneath the bandages as Kurt sang.

"_Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with, someone I'll always laugh with, even at my worst I'm best with you, yeah...!_"

Kurt stepped back, David and Wes dropping their hands and smiling innocently as the three sang together again.

"_It's like you're always stuck in second gear, and it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year but..._"

Blaine was grinning, gently holding onto Jess' hand as she sang too, squeezing her little brother's fingers.

"_I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour, I'll be there for you like I've been there before, I'll be there for you 'cause you're there for me too...! I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you... 'Cause you're there for me too..._"

The last note hovered in the air before Blaine started clapping, not caring that every movement made his shoulder ache with sharp pain as he simply beamed at them all, taking a deep, shaky breath. "... I... What can I even say to that...?"

"Hopefully nothing about angel princess Kurt in dresses," Jess joked, causing the whole room to dissolve into laughter, both Blaine and Kurt going bright pink, though you could only really tell that the latter was blushing as Wes slung an arm around him.

"... You guys are never going to let that go, are you...?" Blaine asked, looking morosely at all his friends as they found places to sit, either on chairs or the floor, Wes pushing Kurt to perch on the end of the bed.

"Never," Jess said, grinning. "That's what big sisters are for."


	7. Going Home Theme Of A Local Hero part b

xxx xxx xxx

"Okay, guys! Everyone needs to sit down, and put your belts on!" Mr. Schue was standing at the head of the bus, filled with a chattering mixture of Warblers and New Directions, attempting to gain a little control. The Andersons – generously – had arranged a coach to take the two groups back to Ohio out of their own pocket, all except Wes, David and Kurt who'd stayed behind to be with Blaine while he was in recovery. "Guys! Seriously, I-..." Journey started blasting from his pocket. Mr. Schue groaned, leaning against the seat and drawing out his mobile, frowning when that familiar name flashed up on screen, alongside 'One New Message'. "... Terri..." he murmured, to himself as he opened the text.

'where are you honey? why arent you home?'

… Well that took creepy to a whole new level. He shivered, sliding the phone into his pocket and ignoring the message. "_GUYS!_" Silence fell. "... _Thank you_. Please put on your belts and sit down, okay? We're heading back." Mr. Schue sat down too, doing up his own belt and slumping against the seats, exhausted but so, so glad that the whole ordeal was over. He smiled at Carole, sitting next to him. Burt had decided to stay with his son while Carole had come home with Finn. "Sorry about that," he smiled. "I guess everyone's relieved to be going home."

"It was definitely an unforgettable trip," Carole smiled, leaning back against her seat as – suddenly – the students burst into song. "... At least I'm actually going to enjoy listening to them sing for hours, right?" Mr. Schue laughed loudly, nodding and humming along.

Several hours and endless bathroom breaks later, the bus rolled up to Dalton. It was dark, but all of New Directions peered up at the amazing building before waving off their rivals-slash-friends, the boys greeted by several members of staff who helped them in. Mr. Schue stood up again as the bus started back to Lima from Westerville. "Okay, guys. You've all managed to organize your rides home, right?" There was a general cheer of agreement, Mr. Schue nodding and smiling. "... I just want to let you guys know how proud of you I am. This trip has been... Horrendous, but the way you all pulled together and were so, so supportive of everyone has been... Amazing. You really, really did me proud." Rachel beamed, looking up at him.

"We couldn't have done it without you, Mr. Schue! And so, to tide us over until we get back to school and our respective cars, I think we should all pay tribute to Mr. Schue and sing one of his favourite – if not _the _favourite – song. Don't Stop Believing."

For once, everyone agreed with her.

xxx xxx xxx

"...And then we finally came home," Will finished, leaning back in his chair and looking across the desk to Emma who was staring back at him with wide eyes, a forgotten grape halfway to her mouth.

"... Oh my god..." she breathed. "... We had no idea... The story hasn't reached Ohio yet..."

"It literally felt like we were trapped in a horror film," Will said, shaking his hand and running his fingers through his hair. "And then when we got the videos of him, and we all thought he'd been shot... It was horrific..." Emma gently reached out, nudging a box of tissues closer. Just in case.

"I can't believe you had to go through all of that... Do you think I should schedule counselling for the kids...?"

"I don't think they need it, Emma," he smiled. "I mean, we had a happy ending and Blaine's due to be returning to school the coming Monday."

"Is he seeing someone...?"

"Yeah, his parents set a therapist up for him. They kindly organized a session for Kurt, Wes and David too, just in case." Emma smiled gently and nodded, nibbling her grape finally.

"Oh, that's good... That's really good, they'll definitely need it. And... What about you...? Are you okay...?"

"I'm fine, Emma," he smiled, shifting a little in his chair before blinking and cocking his head. "... Hey... Do you have a bruise...?" Emma froze up, eyes widening and smile dropping.

"A-... A bruise...? Where?"

"Just there, on your neck..." Will murmured, leaning in a little and frowning as Emma hastily yanked her collar up a little, blushing.

"O-Oh, it's... It's just... Carl..."

… Oh. Will blushed too, leaning back immediately and looking away, though it hadn't really looked like a love-bite... "Oh, right, sorry...! I, uh... How's that all going...?"

"Well," she said, a little too quickly and nodding her head, looking down at her lunch. "Really, it's... It's going... Well, Will, thanks for asking," she smiled, busying herself in sorting out her grapes in order of size. Will nodded, the space between them suddenly feeling awkward.

"Good... I'm really happy for you, Emma. I'd, um... I'd best get going. I think I'm on duty," he laughed, standing and brushing himself down. "Thanks for listening."

"Okay, Will. It's a pleasure. Any time...! See you later," she smiled, looking up with an odd gleam to her eyes that made Will pause for a second before cracking another small smile and leaving, waving.

"See you, Emma."

xxx xxx xxx

Puck shoved his shoulder in Karofsky's with a low, warning growl. "Back off, Karofsky. I was here first." He sat down heavily in the chair, glaring up at the boy who immediately glared back, but wisely took another seat.

"Jeez, Puckerman, what crawled up your ass and died?" he snipped back, adjusting his letterman jacket.

"It certainly wasn't your non-existent girlfriend," Puck sneered back, fishing for a rise he knew he'd get. Karofsky growled, starting forwards threateningly, Azimio yanking him back.

"Yo man, back off! Both of you!" He said, shooting them both weird looks as he kept his friend from doing something stupid, like starting an actual fight with Puck in the middle of the cafeteria. "Seriously, chill, man." He said to Karofsky, the boy finally relaxing a little and picking at his lunch, Puck giving him another sneer as he tucked in. Finn looked awkwardly to Sam, Mike and Artie who all just shrugged and continued to eat. It was Puck who broke the tense silence a few moments later, looking back to Karofsky with a malicious gleam in his eyes.

"Have you _ever_ had a girlfriend, Karof-"

-_BAM_. Karofsky's plate of stew smashed into Puck's face before anyone else could react. "Shut the _fuck up_, Puckerman," he snarled, voice lower and darker than anyone had ever heard it before. Azimio blinked at him in shock as Karofsky stood, shoving his tray across the table into Puck's and storming off, slamming a hapless guy to the floor who'd gotten in his way. The table stared after him in silence, stew dripping down Puck's face.

xxx xxx xxx

"David Karofsky! You're late! Where've you been?" Beiste turned, hands on her hips as she glared at the boy who'd just come in through the locker-room doors.

"Nurse," he gritted out, his hand bandaged.

"What the hell happened...?" she asked, going over as the team went silent, watching. He turned from her angrily, opening the red, metallic door to his locker and grabbing his gear.

"Nothing. Hit my hand. It's fine."

"It doesn't look fine," she frowned, arms crossed as he closed his locker again and headed to a corner to get changed. "How'd you hurt it?"

"Coach, does it really matter?" He snapped at her, sitting down and rummaging through his bag.

"Don't take that tone with me, boy. And yes, it does matter."

"I punched a wall, alright? Nothing broke, it's _fine_." He shot her a small, desperate look for her to just stop, turning around and yanking off his shirt to pull on his uniform. After a long moment she sighed and turned around too, going back to the board.

"Don't be late again, or you'll be doing laps." Karofsky said nothing, just getting changed. Azimio went over, frowning a little.

"Hey, man. You disappeared after lunch. You okay?"

"I'm _fine_! Jeez! Just... Lay off, alright? I'm not some freaking _girl_."

"Dude, chill...!" Azimio held up his hands, eyes wide. "Just asking, alright...?"

"I'm _fine_." Karofsky bit out, one last time as he finished changing, turning back to the team and taking a seat on one of the benches to listen to Beiste detail their plan of action for the session. Soon she was blowing her whistle, sending the team out onto the pitches, but as Karofsky passed she grabbed his shoulder and hauled him back in.

"One minute, David," she said, voice a little lower as he looked at her with fleeting panic, not noticing how Azimio had stopped to wait for him. "You're not looking so good, and I think you've lost weight. Your kit's hanging off you," Beiste said softly, looking him up and down as Karofsky flushed a little, looking away and gritting his jaw.

"Coach, I'm fine. My kit's just stretched, probably."

"Have you been eating right?" she asked, eyes narrowing a bit as Karofsky bit back a flinch.

"'Course. I eat tons."

"... Dude, you skipped lunch today," Azimio said, coming back over and with a hint of genuine concern in his eyes. "And I ain't seen you eat in-"

"-Jeez, Azimio! I'm fucking _fine_!"

"David! Don't cuss-"

"-Coach, _seriously_, I'm _fine_," he said desperately, looking to her. "I've been feeling a bit rough, alright? Probably got a cold or something or a virus. I got food from the vending machines, I'm _fine. _Can I go now? _Please_?" After a long moment Beiste let go of him and nodded, watching him as he walked quickly away, outside onto the pitch.

"... Keep an eye on him, Azimio."

"Got it, Coach," he murmured, following his friend with a small frown.

xxx xxx xxx

Blaine had arrived back to Dalton with Kurt, Wes and David on Sunday afternoon and had been welcomed as a hero, a (tame) party organized and held in his honour with the entire school present and celebrating his miraculous survival. It had, naturally, exhausted him and the four boys had returned early to their dorm – not before the guys had insisted that Blaine had to peel off his t-shirt and show them the scar in his shoulder, which he did. Blaine collapsed down on his bed as Wes and David grabbed the blu-tac, sticking up their artsy New York City posters in the lonely space Angelina Jolie had been.

"Much better," Kurt smirked, sitting on his own bed and looking fondly over to where Blaine looked ready to simply pass out. "... Blaine, don't fall asleep like that."

"... Mghngnm..." came the incoherent reply, Blaine's face buried in the pillow. A second later he rolled over onto his back, wincing as the moment made his shoulder twinge. "... Okay, okay... Help me up..." he groaned, holding out his hand to Kurt who rolled his eyes playfully and stood, going over and taking Blaine's hand, trying to pull him up.

"... How much do you weigh...?" He gasped, using both hands as Blaine laughed, finally sitting up on his own accord.

"Jeez, thanks Kurt. This is all muscle, you know." Kurt bit back the 'oh. I know.'

"Sincere apologies," he smirked, regretfully letting go of Blaine's hand, said boy standing and stretching a little, careful of his shoulder before he stifled a yawn and went to his little wardrobe space, taking out pyjamas and heading to the bathroom.

"See you guys in a minute," he smiled, padding out and closing the door behind him. David stood back with a flourish, admiring the picture.

"Not quite as pleasing as Angelina Jolie's form," he said, putting his hands on his hips, "but nice. Very nice. Thanks, Kurt."

"Believe me, anything is preferable than waking up with a half naked, gigantic woman towering over me from the other end of the room," he said dryly, earning two hearty laughs from his room-mates as they grabbed their own pyjamas and headed to the bathroom too. Kurt took this time to quickly change, having already used the bathroom. He sat at his little desk slash boudoir and started his skin routine, humming happily and feeling... At home. Happy. Completely and utterly relaxed and relieved and...

"Hey," Blaine smiled, going over and sitting down on Kurt's bed when he came in ten minutes later, his hair a mess of curls and eyes gleaming. Kurt looked over with a small, sweet smile.

"Hey. How are you feeling...?"

"I'm okay, Kurt. Don't worry. A bit tired, but nothing a good night's sleep won't cure," he laughed, pulling a little bottle of cream from his pocket and squirting a bit onto his fingers, reaching over his shoulder to rub the liniment into his wound beneath his t-shirt as Kurt massaged moisturiser into his own skin. "So, if I get us tickets to a game this Saturday evening, seeing as it's a weekend home, we could go shopping beforehand to redecorate my corner?"

"That sounds perfect," Kurt smiled, a small flush tinting his cheeks. "And seeing as the mall's closer to my house... You could stay over...? If you want to, of course, and if your parents would let you," he mumbled, blushing a little more and looking into his mirror as Blaine laughed.

"I'd love to, Kurt. Would your dad let me...?"

"Of course...!" Kurt laughed, glancing back over as Blaine screwed the cap back onto his tube and tossed it onto his own bed, flopping down on Kurt's. "... If you fall asleep in my bed, I'm not going to be pleased," he warned teasingly, Blaine laughing.

"I'm not going to fall asleep..."

"Really? Because you sound like you're about to drop off."

"Promise... I'm wide awake..."

"... You're closing your eyes. Blaine."

"'Mm not..." Blaine mumbled. Kurt sighed, putting down his little tub of cleanser and taking Blaine's hands, gently pulling him back up to sit and careful not to put pressure on his injured shoulder.

"Come on, Sleepy. And don't you dare call me Snow White," he teased, smiling as Blaine laughed, eyelids drooping. "Up, Blaine. Stand up." Blaine groaned softly but did as he was told, Kurt helping him stagger into his own bed and – after shooting a quick glance to the door – gently tucking Blaine in, who mumbled something unintelligible and succumbed to the sleep he'd been fighting desperately. Kurt smiled tenderly, letting his fingertips brush Blaine's forehead and the small curls there, noting the way the boy seemed to relax even more. It wasn't even funny how much he was in love with him... Kurt drew away, back at his desk as Wes opened the door.

"... Is Blaine sleeping...?" he asked, softly.

"Yeah," Kurt smiled, looking over as he applied his face mask. "He did well to last this long."

"I thought he was going to drop off in the middle of dinner," Wes snorted, going over to check on Blaine before heading back to his own bed. David came in a moment later.

"Oh, is Blaine-"

""-Yes."" … David laughed quietly, closing the door behind him and climbing into his own bed.

"I've never known someone who can fall asleep as quickly as Blaine," David smiled, flicking off his small lamp. "I mean, he'd drop off mid conversation. It was scary the first time he did it."

"Yeah, we thought he'd fainted," Wes snorted as Kurt giggled, rolling his eyes and totally able to imagine it. "Then it just became hilarious and we put him in weird places while he slept."

"Like under your sofa," David laughed, remembering it. "And behind my piano."

"The secret adventures of Blaine, David and Wes sound positively fascinating," Kurt snickered. "Like the Marauders in Harry Potter. Minus Peter, of course."

"I suppose Blaine gets to be James Potter?" David smirked.

"Well, he is the Boy Who Lived, even though that's Harry," Wes laughed. "You can be Sirius, and I'll be Remus."

"I always knew you were a Werewolf," David grinned. "Or menstruating~"

"Shut up, David," Wes said good-naturedly, flicking off his own light. "Everyone knows Remus was the best."

"You keep telling yourself that," David snickered, "Sirius was the sexy one." He shifted to watch Kurt with mild fascination as he made use of every single one of the hundreds of tubes and bottles on his desk and in his drawers.

"Sorry," Kurt murmured, noticing them watching him. "I'm nearly done..."

"It's fine," Wes smiled, putting his arms behind his head and yawning. "We don't mind. It's kind of fun to watch."

"Did you know you always do it in the same order?"

"... I do now," Kurt said, "and as flattered as I am my skin care provokes such interest, it's bordering creepy." Wes and David laughed, watching as Kurt slowly peeled off the face mask, finishing up before sliding into bed and flicking off his own light, sending the room into darkness. There were a few murmured good-nights before silence fell, peppered only by four sets of breathing that quickly evened out as they fell asleep.

xxx xxx xxx

Kurt blinked at the note he'd found pinned to his pillow. It was Wednesday afternoon and Blaine had disappeared that morning, actually _missing _one of his classes, and had he not replied to Kurt's text, said boy would have been shot into a full blown panic attack that something had happened again. But here he was, in his dorm, holding a small note that simply said:

Meet me in the theatre at 2PM. - Blaine.

Kurt didn't know whether to feel frightened or excited. His innards settled on a mix of both as he checked his watch, realizing that he'd found the note in the nick of time, seeing as it was 1:50PM. He put down his bag, quickly brushed his hair and – after a second of deliberation – his teeth before heading down to the theatre. The hallway was deserted, everyone outside and enjoying the sunshine on their free afternoon. Kurt swallowed, stomach flipping as he opened the doors and slipped inside, closing them behind him with a thunk.

"... Blaine...?" he called, a little hesitantly as he moved down the rows of seats, trying to spot the boy. "Are you here...?"

"Hey...!" Kurt almost leaped out of his skin, gasping as he looked up to where Blaine had appeared on stage, grinning but looking... Nervous.

"Oh, you... You gave me a fright," Kurt laughed breathlessly, climbing the steps to the stage and smiling as he went over to him. "I, um... I just got your note..."

"Oh, good. That's good, I was worried you wouldn't," Blaine laughed back, swallowing and shifting nervously, an action that just made Kurt even more nervous as to what was happening.

"Well, I did and... Here I am," he laughed, spreading his arms as Blaine nodded, sending his curls – he hadn't gelled his hair since Kurt had said it looked better without – flying.

"Here you are...! Good...! Right, well... Okay, I... I'm not great at talking about my feelings," he said, exhaling shakily as suddenly every single bit of Kurt's being clenched in dizzy, free-wheeling anticipation, all the breath knocked from his lungs as Blaine licked his lips, laughing a little and smiling again, though he was clearly fighting for calm. "So... I... I want to sing them. Is that okay...?" Kurt could only nod breathlessly, eyes wide and cheeks pink because if what he thought was happening was happening, then...

… Oh, god...

Blaine nodded, shooting him another nervous grin and turning around, hurrying over to a small CD player and hitting a button, straightening his tie and brushing down his jacket, squaring his shoulders and turning to Kurt as the music started.

He knew this song. He knew this song, and he loved this song, and suddenly breathing was incredibly difficult as he stared at Blaine, heart pounding because this was one of his _favourite _songs and he'd only admitted it to Blaine because they both _loved _the film and what was breathing again? Blaine smiled, slowly walking back over to Kurt as he sang, starting soft and tender, nervousness shining in his eyes even as he moved with confidence.

"_I've been meaning to tell you... I've got this feeling that won't subside... I look at you and I fantasize... You're mine tonight... Now I've got you in my sights..._"

Kurt tore in a ragged breath, his heart beating faster and harder as Blaine smiled, gently taking Kurt's hands and linking their fingers together, obviously taking confidence in the fact that the other boy hadn't run off screaming. This was _perfect_, this was the most perfect moment in his whole life, Blaine's voice filling his ears and his fingers interlocked with his own and he couldn't have _dreamed _of a better moment as Blaine slowly spun them, his smile tender and so, so genuine as the music swelled, Blaine's voice a little louder.

"_With these hungry eyes, one look at you and I can't disguise I've got hungry eyes... I feel the magic between you and I..._"

Kurt's cheeks were hurting from grinning so hard as Blaine gently slid closer, one of his hands settling on Kurt's waist, the other still holding their fingers together as Kurt gently put his own hand on Blaine's shoulder, moving perfectly as the ever-so-slightly shorter boy started to waltz them, leading.

"_I wanna hold you so hear me out... I wanna show you what love's all about, darling tonight, now I've got you in my sights..._"

And then, with a single shift of weight, Kurt was leading effortlessly, his heart skipping another beat as he realized what Blaine was saying with the simple movement; that they were equal, that Kurt wasn't the 'girl' of the relationship despite what people might think, that they didn't fall into those roles. That they were simply _themselves_. Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson. Kurt shivered, softly joining in as he swirled them around the piano.

""_With these hungry eyes... One look at you and I can't disguise, I've got hungry eyes... I feel the magic between you and I..._""

Blaine lead again, drawing Kurt a little closer and grinning, all his nervousness gone as they danced – perfectly in time – Blaine once more taking over vocally, squeezing Kurt's fingers.

"_I've got hungry eyes... Now I've got you in my sights, with those hungry eyes...Now did I take you by surprise..._"

Suddenly he tugged Kurt closer, gently twisting their bodies until he was holding Kurt at a low angle, leaning over him as he grinned, just supporting the boy with a strong hand to his back.

"_I need you to see this love was meant to be..._"

He swept Kurt up again, both laughing melodically as Kurt lead them back into the waltz, flushed and beaming – the most happy he'd ever, ever been as they both sang the final chorus.

""_I've got hungry eyes... One look at you and I can't disguise I've got hungry eyes... I feel the magic between you and I, I've got hungry eyes... Now I've got you in my sights with those hungry eyes... Now did I take you by surprise with my hungry eyes... Hungry eyes, now I've got you in my sights... With my hungry eyes..._""

The last note hung in the thick, warm air, silence slowly falling between them, their gazes locked and breathing slightly heavier. They both swallowed at the same time, hearts beating hard. It was Kurt who moved first, his hand lifting from Blaine's shoulder to his cheek as he leaned in, eyes half closing as Blaine's jaw trembled beneath his fingers, and...

… Oh...

Their lips brushed, both of them shuddering as they pressed together, mouths fitting _perfectly_, and time had slowed down or stopped or something, because they weren't even _breathing_, just clinging to each other as they kissed, just the quiver of lips touching, of two souls – for a brief, glorious moment – becoming one. It was perfect. It was more than perfect, it was beyond perfect; it was in its own realm of perfection.

They gently drew back, two blissful smiles on their faces, gazes locking again, Kurt noticing that Blaine's hands were on his cheeks. Blaine gently tipped their foreheads together, exhaling softly.

"... Kurt... I love you... My only regret is it took me so long to have the courage to tell you..." Kurt snorted weakly, closing his eyes for a second as he let it sink in, let what felt like a lifetime of longing to hear those words, of _needing _to hear those words, settle deep in his heart.

"... I love you too, Blaine..." he whispered, voice cracking a little with the emotion. "... I love you so much..." he laughed, blinking back the hot tingle of tears at the back of his eyes as their noses brushed, and then their lips in another tender, breath-taking kiss. Suddenly they were both laughing, arms tight around each other and just clinging on, hugging as close as they could until the laughter slowly bubbled to a stop, eyes closed and smiles on their lips as they simply held each other. Kurt lifted his hand, gently combing his fingers through the curls at the nape of Blaine's neck. "... Saturday's our first date, right...?" he whispered, grinning as he felt and heard Blaine laugh, said boy gently pulling back a little so he could look at Kurt, his dark eyes shimmering in the low, warm light of the theatre.

"... Shopping, lunch, a football game, and then a movie night... I can't think of a more perfect first date..." Kurt beamed, letting the pads of his fingertips stroke against Blaine's nape.

"... Me neither..."

"... Kurt... I know this is a bit redundant now, but... Will you be my boyfriend...?" Kurt laughed softly, gently pulling Blaine closer again.

"... I'd love to be..." he whispered, brushing their lips together again, an action he never, ever wanted to stop doing. Blaine smiled against his lips, brushing their noses together as he quoted Dirty Dancing, voice low and tender.

"... I'll never be sorry..." Kurt grinned back – because he totally would be Baby, he'd be Jennifer Grey to Blaine's Patrick Swayze _any_ day – and whispered against Blaine's mouth.

"... Neither will I..."

xxx xxx xxx

Wes brought his gavel banging down three times before silence fell amongst all the Warblers, save Blaine and Kurt. "So!" Wes said, grinning, "we're all prepared for Operation Klaine, right?" There was a resounding cheer, Wes whacking a few more times to calm down the group. "They'll be here any moment. Assume positions!" The Warblers scrambled, sitting down on all the chairs and surfaces until the only place left to sit was a love-seat with just enough room for two. A moment later the doors opened and Blaine came in, smiling widely.

"Sorry I'm late, guys. Kurt's just coming, I think he's getting his bag." After a second of deliberation he sat down on one side of the chair, looking around his friends. "Hey, uh... I actually have something I want to say, so...-"

"-You can afterwards, Blaine," Wes smiled. "Ah, here's Kurt."

"Sorry, I was just getting my bag," Kurt said breathlessly, smiling as he sat down beside Blaine, the two sharing a smile that reassured all the Warblers that what they were about to do was a good idea. Wes cleared his throat, everyone looking at him, Blaine and Kurt the only two with genuinely innocent and curious expressions as to why an emergency Warbler meeting had been called. Wes turned to David.

"_I can see what's happening."_

David blinked, cocking his head.

"_What?_"

Wes gave David a knowing look.

"_And they don't have a clue._"

David blinked again.

"_Who?_"

Wes shot a glance to Kurt and Blaine, who were looking utterly confused.

"_They'll fall in love; and here's the bottom line... Our trio's down to two._"

The penny dropped at the same time for Kurt and Blaine as they both went bright pink, looking to each other and then Wes and David as all the Warblers went:

"_Oh_."

Wes grinned.

"_The sweet caress of twilight, there's magic everywhere... And with all this romantic atmosphere, Klaine is in the air._"

Suddenly all the Warblers burst into song, clicking their fingers and swaying, looking at Kurt and Blaine who were matching shades of red, looking up to their friends.

"_Can you feel the love tonight, the peace the evening brings... The world for once in perfect harmony with all its living things..._"

Kurt took a second to be impressed that they'd even worked out the African backing vocals as Blaine held up a hand with a playful grin, turning to Kurt and taking both his hands, singing.

"_So many things to tell him, but how to make him see the truth about my past... Impossible, he'd turn away from me..._"

Kurt grinned softly back, blushing a little and missing the small flash of emotion in Blaine's eyes as he sung a line that struck scarily close to home. The Warblers were grinning, letting Kurt and Blaine sing their 'parts' and unanimously glad this was going as well as they'd hoped it would.

"_He's holding back, he's hiding... But what, I can't decide... Why won't he be the king I know he is? The king I see inside?_"

They laughed, going quiet and looking back up to their friends as the group sang again, not letting go of each other's hands.

"_Can you feel the love tonight, the peace the evening brings... The world for once in perfect harmony with all its living things... Can you feel the love tonight? You needn't look too far... Stealing through the night's uncertainties, love is where they are..._"

Kurt was grinning, gently leaning his head on Blaine's shoulder as Wes gripped David's shoulder.

"_And if they fall in love tonight... It can be assumed..._"

David gripped Wes' arm back.

"_Their every days with us are history..._"

The Warblers were fighting not to laugh, Wes' gavel forgotten as they sang mournfully.

""_In short... Our pals... Are doomed..._""

There was a second of silence before Wes and David pretended to burst into noisy tears, the final straw that broke the camel's back as the Warblers, Kurt and Blaine included, collapsed with laughter. When everyone had finally calmed down, the attention shifted back to Kurt and Blaine who were grinning and still holding hands.

"Well," Kurt said, "I think I speak for everyone when I say that Disney was truly done justice today, but... You're a little late," he smiled, looking to Blaine who laughed, nodding.

"Kurt and I got together a few hours ago," he beamed. "That's what I was going to tell you. It's official."

"In the immortal words of one Mercedes Jones," Kurt smiled, glancing happily to Blaine, "there are Klainebows."

There were a few seconds of shocked silence before everyone cheered, bursting into an applause that had Blaine and Kurt blushing heavily, laughing and linking their fingers together as happiness flooded through them at being so utterly, utterly _accepted_ by all their close friends who were already starting to plan a number in celebration.

Operation Klaine had been a success.

xxx

A/N: Wow. Just... Wow. Wow, wow, wow. When I started this, I had no idea that anyone would even be remotely interested in this not-so-little story, but the amount of support I've got is overwhelming. Thank you so much to every single person who's taken the time to review, but also thank you to everyone who's put this story on alert, or favourited it, or put _me _on alert! Seriously, I can't thank you guys enough. I hope the Klaine in this chapter makes up for all the angst I put them through!

Once again I'd like to say that I have a Tumblr account I use a lot, under the url gleekilicious. .com Please do follow me there, because I like to blog little fic updates, such as small spoilers. I also like to release which three songs are going to be in the chapter, and what it's called (which is often a big hint!) prior to actually publishing the chapter!

Thank you all again, and I couldn't do it without my amazing beta.

Please check out this amazing fan-art I got! It's amazing, thank you so much, Dekuku! .


	8. First Date part a

A/N: I'm so sorry this has taken so long to get out to you all, but I hope you enjoy it! It's actually hit it's 30 page mark. AHHH. So many words, so little time...! It's insane! Thank you so much to everyone who reads this, and I hope you enjoy this chapter~!

The three songs used are:

.com/watch?v=-_niy2ZM5Jo – I Got My Mind Set On You – George Harrison

.com/watch?v=rpBhQKwm2rY – How D'Ya Like Your Eggs In The Morning – Dean Martin and Helen O'Connell

.com/watch?v=fJBd4eeNI1M – Gomen Nasai – TATU

xxx xxx xxx

"Mr. Schue, I got a song today," Puck said, standing with an easy smirk, his gait almost predatory as he stalked to the front of the class and turned, grinning at his audience.

"Uh... Sure...! Okay," Mr. Schue laughed, holding up his hands and taking a seat on the piano stool. "Why not, right?" Puck grinned at him, nodding his head at the band as he grabbed his guitar as Finn hopped over to the drum set. Puck smirked and levelled his best, sexiest look at Lauren, who rolled her eyes as the music began, crossing her arms. He started to sing, eyes fixed on her.

"_I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you..._"

Mr. Schue sighed softly, leaning his chin on his hand as he watched Puck – once again – try to seduce Lauren. Who was not looking impressed at all, despite Puck's bad-ass charm as he nudged a glaring Santana out the way to stand right in front of the girl he was attempting to woo.

"_But it's gonna take money, a whole lot of spending money... It's gonna take plenty of money, to do it right girl._"

Puck was swaggering back and forth, hands moving effortlessly over his shiny guitar as he strutted his stuff, the rest of the club clapping and singing along as Lauren tried to hide a smile, eyebrow crooked.

"_It's gonna take time, a whole lot of precious time... It's gonna take patience and time, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it right, girl,_"

Artie whooped, dancing in his chair as Puck nodded to him, grinning and totally into his song. He'd made it sound a lot more rock-like, and if Mr. Schue wasn't so busy wondering why Puck just kept on chasing Lauren, he'd be impressed.

"_I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you...!_"

Tina and Mike were bopping along at the back, Quinn and Sam smiling at each other as Puck stalked back over to Lauren, still playing his guitar.

"_And this time I know it's for real, the feelings that I feel... I know if I put my mind to it, I know that I really can do it._"

Puck dumped his guitar, turning a chair and straddling it backwards, grinning and holding his arms out to Lauren who was fighting a blush and a smile, arms crossed.

"_I got my mind set on you, set on you, I got my mind set on you, set on you...!_"

He stood again, waving his arms in the air to get everyone to sing along. Mr. Schue cracked a grin, watching Lauren who rolled her eyes, looking away but smiling.

"_But it's gonna take money, a whole lot of spending money... It's gonna take plenty of money, to do it right __girl._"

Puck was lapping up the attention, really playing to the crowd as he kept shooting sultry, devious smirks to Lauren, tapping his watch.

"_It's gonna take time, a whole lot of precious time... It's gonna take patience and time, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it right, girl,_"

And then he was right back, pointing at Lauren as he leaped up onto a chair.

"_I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you, I got my mind set on you...!_"

Mr. Schue half stood before Puck broke something or himself, but the self-proclaimed badass jumped back down, stalking over to the girl he was set on.

"_And this time I know it's for real, the feelings that I feel... I know if I put my mind to it, I know that I really can do it._"

He was walking around her now, just refraining from actually touching as she tried to look everywhere _but _him.

"_But it's gonna take money, a whole lot of spending money... It's gonna take plenty of money, to do it right girl, it's gonna take time, a whole lot of precious time... It's gonna take patience and time, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it right, girl,"_

He moved to kneel in front of her, gently taking her hands with a small, surprisingly tender grin.

"_Set on you... I got my mind set on you..."_

The song came to a close, everyone pausing as the silence mounted, the hopeful beam on Puck's face quickly becoming almost painful as Lauren simply looked down at him. Finally she sighed and dropped Puck's hands, standing and grabbing her bag, walking off. Puck's shoulders drooped, everyone in the room wincing gently for him. Lauren paused at the door, turning to him.

"Library in five, Puckerman. The room with all the books," she clarified upon seeing Puck's confused – yet quickly regaining its smirk – face. Lauren left, the door swinging shut as everyone looked to Puck.

"... That's good, right? Right? I mean... Yeah, it's totally good," he grinned, talking himself up as he stood, clapping Finn on the shoulder. "Thanks for helping, dude."

"... Uh... No problem, man... Good luck...?"

"The Puckasaurus doesn't _need_ luck," he smirked, grabbing his own bag and swaggering out the door. There was a short silence in the wake of his absence before Santana held up her hands.

"Puckerman's _whipped_. By _Lauren Zizes_. I actually feel sick."

"Santana," Mr. Schue said with a small frown. "If Puck's in love, then Puck's in love and Lauren's a lovely girl. Let's just... Be happy for them, okay?"

"Are you joking? The school's stud hooking up with _her_-"

"-_Santana_. That's enough." Santana rolled her eyes, sitting back as Mercedes cooed something that sounded awfully like 'jealous'. Mr. Schue started on the lesson before an actual fight broke out. Again.

Lauren was sitting at a chair, waiting for Puck in a quiet corner of the library, glasses on the table in front of her as if she was conducting a business meeting. Puck went over as soon as he saw her, grinning and sliding smoothly into the seat opposite her.

"'Sup," he smirked, nodding his head to her.

"Can it, Puckerman. If I'm going to be honest, I like your style," Lauren said, ignoring the grin on Puck's face. "You've got guts, and you won't drop this. So either you're desperate, or you really _are _into me."

"I'm totally into you. I said it like, a hundred times now, but I'm really, _really _into you. I swear," he pleaded, clasping his hands together as Lauren watched him, judging him with every passing second.

"... Then I'll give you a chance, Puckerman. But if you mess up, you're right out on your scrawny ass. _And_," she said, just as Puck opened his beaming mouth, "this is all on my terms. Got it?"

"Got it! I totally got it, it's cool," he grinned, looking positively over the moon. Lauren stood, nodding her head and putting her glasses back on.

"Pick me up at eight on Friday night. We're going to Breadstix." She turned, walking off as Puck nodded eagerly. He slowly slumped to the desk, grinning hugely.

"... _Yes_..." he whispered, clenching his fists. Finally. He'd done it. At last, he'd triumphed with a good old bit of... Well... Whatever genre that song was. He was in love and, for the first time in _forever_, in a relationship.

It felt freaking _good_.

xxx xxx xxx

Kurt watched his fingers wander along Blaine's jaw, feeling the boy shiver as his thumb brushed the corner of his lips. It was a beautiful, sunny, Friday afternoon and Blaine was _meant_ to be outside on the sports field, playing soccer. However, due to his shoulder injury, he was off sport for a few more weeks at least. Which meant that Kurt – who had cleverly scheduled his piano lesson over the sports lesson, though this week the teacher was ill – and Blaine were cuddled up on Kurt's bed in their empty dorm, talking in slow, soft voices; their conversation peppered with tender kisses.

Bliss was too boring and bland a word to encompass how beautiful this moment was, Blaine's arms around Kurt's waist and Kurt's hands on Blaine's chest and shoulders; though now one had sneaked up to play with the small curls of Blaine's hair by his ear, the latter's iPod playing soft, low music into the otherwise quiet room.

"... This is amazing..." Blaine whispered, crooking a grin as Kurt flushed a little and leaned in, brushing their lips together in a tingling, chaste kiss.

"... Astounding..."

"... Awesome..." Blaine smirked, pressing another – slightly less innocent – kiss to Kurt.

"... Addictive..." Kurt whispered back, feeling like Blaine had stolen a little of his breath as they kissed again, Blaine's arms tightening around Kurt.

"... Adorable..." These kisses were getting progressively less and less innocent. Kurt tilted his head, their mouths fitting together more easily – because he'd done this before with Brittany and sort of knew what to do – before breaking it again with a small smirk.

"... Alluring..." he whispered, breathlessly as Blaine gave him a look that clearly said 'how are you still thinking?' and leaned in to kiss again and _oh_, this time that... That had definitely been a flick of tongue, most definitely, and he was going to continue _that_-... Blaine whispered against Kurt's mouth, more a mumble even as he smirked.

"... Amorous..." This time it was Kurt who gave him the look, gently running his fingers through Blaine's hair.

"You win," he whispered, tugging the grinning boy in for another kiss, this time letting his lips part a little and hoping that Blaine would take the invitation. After the briefest second, Blaine did. Kurt shivered, eyes drifting closed to focus on the electric feeling of Blaine's lips brushing against his, the wash of hot, exotic breath against his own, the-... _Oh_... The flick of tongue that...-

"-And so then I sa-aaaaaawoaaahh! About turn! About turn!" Wes, who'd just flung open the dorm door, span around to try and get out as Kurt and Blaine yelped, pulling back from each other and David froze, his eyes widening before he jerked back, grabbing the door and slamming it shut. A long, tense silence rang out, both sets of boys frozen. Finally there was a knock at the door. "... Are you two, uh... Busy...?"

"Busy, Wes? Of course they were busy...!"

"... We can hear you both," Blaine said, sitting up as Kurt went bright pink, taking a seat at his desk and trying not to die from mortification.

"We're, um, we're apart..." Kurt called out, hearing the door open cautiously but not turning around as Wes and David slowly crept in. The four sat there in awkward silence before Wes finally cracked, bursting into laughter and burying his face in his hands and setting off the other three boys too, Kurt slumping down on the desk as he flushed more despite his giggles. Finally they calmed down, David shaking his head.

"... I saw enough live-action Klaine there to last me a lifetime," he snickered as Blaine and Kurt went even pinker, Blaine crossing his arms.

"What are you guys even doing here...? You're meant to be outside playing soccer...!"

"We came to check on you...!" Wes said. "Obviously, you were doing just fine."

"Yeah, _before_ you came in," Blaine grumbled, Kurt going pinker and shooting him a scandalized look as Wes and David cracked up again.

"_Blaine_," he hissed, though it was completely without venom, David and Wes just laughing more.

"Okay, okay, all joking aside... You know we love you two-"

"-As brothers-" David quickly interjected, Wes nodding and continuing,

"But we don't want to keep walking in on you two, so... If we make you a nice, subtle sign you can put up so we know that you two are 'busy'," he smirked, crooking his fingers as Blaine and Kurt went pink again, "and then we won't have any more awkward walking-in moments. In return, uh... You guys play nice at night, okay? Blaine's the only heavy sleeper here," he said, crooking an eyebrow that had David snickering again, Kurt and Blaine seemingly permanent shades of red.

"Though we don't mind if you share a bed," David added. "Just... What he said."

"That sounds like a good deal," Blaine smiled, still pink as he ran his fingers through his curls. "Thanks, guys... Really."

"It's fine," Wes smiled, standing and nudging David. "Let's leave them and go make the sign. Be good," he winked.

"Knock before you come in again...!" Blaine called after them as they left, the two boys chuckling as they heard Kurt hiss Blaine's name again in embarrassment, closing the door firmly behind them. Kurt and Blaine sat in silence for a few more minutes before Blaine opened his arms for Kurt with a small smile. "... Come back...?"

"... Fine," Kurt mumbled, pouting a little even as he climbed back onto his bed and into Blaine's arms. "... That was so embarrassing..."

"It could've been worse," Blaine soothed, stroking his fingers through Kurt's hair, well aware that had anyone else touched the fine strands, it would have meant certain death. "I mean... Better that happens at the beginning, right...?"

"... Perhaps," Kurt mumbled, shifting closer and mentally cursing Blaine's charm and magnetism, his sheer irresistibility as Blaine wrapped his arms back around Kurt's waist and hugged him close. "... Though it'll be nice to share a bed again..." he whispered, smiling as he felt Blaine's lips brush his temple.

"... I can't wait... Call me a hopeless romantic-"

"-hopeless romantic," Kurt murmured, breathing in Blaine's scent as his boyfriend snorted.

"_But_... I can't think of anything more ideal than falling asleep next to someone..."

"... Me neither... As long as you don't knee me again," Kurt teased, glancing up at Blaine and brushing their noses together, grinning as Blaine laughed softly and held him closer.

"I'm so, so sorry... Never again... I promise..."

"You were asleep, Blaine... You don't need to apologize," he whispered, letting his eyes flicker closed as he brushed a tender kiss to Blaine's jaw. "I've completely forgiven you... It's not like I was planning on having kids anyway," he smirked, laughing as Blaine prodded him in the ribs, wriggling a little. "I'm joking...! It wasn't that sore, I promise...!"

"Why, Kurt Hummel... I had no idea you were ticklish..." Blaine grinned, a mischievous glint coming into his eyes. Kurt grabbed his hands. Quickly.

"Don't even think about following up that thought, Blaine Anderson, or I will give you a uni-brow while you sleep."

"... The scary thing is, you're not joking."

"I'm really not. Tickle me and die." There were a few seconds of silence, Kurt slowly relaxing his hands as Blaine decided life was worth living, and not even he could rock the uni-brow.

"You do realize I'll have to tickle you at some point, right?"

"Sure. Right after the pillow fight in our matching pyjamas," Kurt smirked.

"Before or after the midnight feast in the bell tower?"

"After, definitely. We've got to work off those calories somehow."

"That all depends whether we're going from children's novels, or adult novels." Kurt slowly crooked an eyebrow.

"... Blaine Anderson, what sort of adult novels do you read?"

"Racy ones. About all-boys boarding schools. Do you want to borrow them?" Blaine smirked, crooking an eyebrow right back. They managed to keep straight faces for a few seconds before dissolving into laughter, Blaine reassuring Kurt he owned no novels of that sort; and Kurt – finally – believing him. It was another fifteen or so minutes later that there was a cautious knock on the door.

"You guys available...?" Wes called, sounding hesitant. Kurt flushed, pulling away and sitting at his desk again, clearing his throat.

"Yes, come in," he said, trying to sound aloof as Blaine sat back up too, Wes and David coming in with twin smiles.

"We made the sign...!"

"Oh?" Kurt asked, turning in his chair to look as David pulled out a piece of A4 paper with a beam, handing it over. Kurt took it. In big, pink letters across the top was 'UNICORNS' and along the bottom 'AT PLAY', with a note saying 'seriously, don't go in, guys' just below that. But it was the crudely drawn unicorns, one wearing a scarf and the other with big, triangle eyebrows, both with rainbow manes and surrounded by stars that had him cracking up, handing it over to Blaine to inspect as he buried his face in his hands. Blaine laughed loudly, grinning at the sign before nodding.

"What the hell happened to subtle, guys...?"

"We thought about it and decided that Klaineicorns were more amusing for everyone involved," David grinned as Blaine put the sign reverently down on the desk, Kurt collapsing into fresh giggles as he looked at it.

"_Klaineicorns..._? _Really_?"

"Hey, that was Wes' idea, not mine. I just drew the unicorns. He added the scarf and eyebrows and dubbed them Klaineicorns."

"It's so unbelievably crap I think it's actually genius," Blaine laughed. "So I guess Kurt and I are the resident Dalton Klaineicorns now?"

"I feel like I'm winning an award," Kurt snickered, looking fondly at his two friends who were playing along, being so understanding and accepting and _funny_ about the whole thing. "I just want to thank everyone who's made this possible," he said, mock-seriously, clutching the sign. "I want to thank my irresistible fashion style, I want to thank my soprano voice, I want to thank my cutting, and yet charming, sarcasm and wit – David, stop laughing, this is an emotional moment – and most of all, I want to thank..." he turned to Blaine, holding out a hand. Blaine grinned, reaching out but just as their fingers were about to brush Kurt pulled his hand back and placed it on his own chest. "Me! Naturally." The kicked-puppy look on Blaine's face was worth it as Kurt reached over, gently taking his hand. "You know I'm joking, don't pull that face."

"Uh oh," David laughed, taking the sign and some blu-tac. "My Klaine senses are tingling, Wes. Best leave the Klaineicorns to play under the Klainebows, right?"

"Right," Wes grinned, winking as he followed David out, leaving the blushing couple in their dorm room. "Have fun...! We'll be back in an hour or so to finish packing to go home, so... Don't get _too_ busy." Kurt raised an eyebrow, his friend's utter acceptance and joviality towards him and Blaine something he was slowly coming to terms with.

"Are you planning on walking in unannounced again, despite the sign?"

"No, but the day is young and we spend a lot of time around you two," Wes grinned.

"I love your optimism," Kurt smirked, waving his fingers as Wes and David left, sticking the sign up on the outside of the door and closing it again with a pleasingly satisfying click. He glanced over to Blaine with a tender smile that was instantly returned, sliding right back into Blaine's arms. "... We need to pack soon..."

"Soon," Blaine whispered, hugging his boyfriend close again with a happy sigh.

xxx xxx xxx

Sam pushed aside the wrapper, dumping the cellophane in the bin as he peeled it free from his new DVD, inspecting the cover and then flipping it to read the back. To be honest, he didn't really know who Oscar Wilde was except that he was from England and was put in jail for being gay; but this film – The Picture Of Dorian Gray – was meant to be really good, and it was the new one, and he'd already watched Avatar twice this week. He went over to his little TV and DVD ensemble, pushing his guitar out of the way and swearing softly as it nearly fell over. He really needed to clean his room... It was actually starting to smell, and Quinn was meant to be coming over on Sunday... He'd do it afterwards.

"Sam! I'm taking Max to the shops...! Do you want to come too?"

"No thanks, mom," Sam called back, trying to find his DVD remote. "Will you bring me back some, uh... Some of those low-fat Doritos...?"

"Sure," she said, putting her head around the door. "... I want to see this room cleaned before dinner, Sam." He groaned softly, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, okay... I will."

"You'd better, otherwise you're not getting any food," she warned, tugging Max back out of Sam's room in all his twelve year old glory. "Max, come on. Let's go."

"Mom...! Can't I watch a film with Sam...?"

"No, we're going shopping for you, so you have to come." That logic was undeniable, Sam biting back a snicker as he found his remote and collapsed down on his sofa, tugging over the blanket and kicking his homework to the floor. He'd do _that _later.

"Have fun," he called after them, starting up the film as his mom called a final goodbye and the house went quiet. When the screen went blank a few hours later, Sam couldn't help but shift a little in his chair, unable to help the feeling of relief that he'd watched the film alone, because... It was _good_, it was really, _really_ good but... That... Bit with the dudes kissing and... Yeah. He, uh, he didn't need to see that in the same room as his mom and little brother. No way. After a few more moments of sitting there, Sam got to his feet and started to tidy up, flicking on his iPod. He even did his homework. All of it. And some extra stuff he didn't have to really do, just because... Yeah. By the time he was climbing into bed – after dinner and a long phone session with Quinn – he was feeling a lot less jittery and on edge, able to fall asleep relatively quickly.

"_Oh, uh, no... No, I think you've got the wrong guy," Sam said awkwardly as he plucked at the gold shorts clinging to his body. "I'm, um, I'm not Dorian. I'm Sam...? I'm meant to be in a school play, Mr. Schue will be, uh, waiting for me," he swallowed, backing away as the artist, armed with a paint brush, advanced. Basil, right...?_

"_I assure you, Mr. Evans, it's been you who I've been waiting for," Basil smirked, still stepping forwards. "Because dear Dorian is right beside you." Sam jumped, looking quickly to his left as someone touched his arm and... Yup. He was cornered by them._

"_... Uh..." he said dumbly, blinking at them each. "... Okay, I'm... Not meant to be here, so..."_

"_Stay," Dorian smirked, his hand touching Sam's bare shoulder. "Please... Tea is laid out," he smiled, gesturing to the table Sam hadn't noticed before, laden with cakes and sandwiches._

"_Oh, uh... No, I ate, um... I'm really going to be late to Glee, so-"_

"_-Oh, come, Sam," Dorian laughed, sliding his arm around Sam's waist and dragging him over to the table with surprising strength. "You are being boring, and that is the only sin here." Sam shifted, really uncomfortable as Basil and Dorian sat on either side, piling his plate up with cakes._

"_... Um... I, uh... It's really nice of you to do this but... I got to watch my figure," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "... I can't eat all that ca—woah! Hey...!" He jerked back, away from where Dorian's hand was resting on his thigh, leaning in uncomfortably close._

"_Your body is divine, Sam... Like a perfect Adonis... Together, we are beauty in itself..."_

"_Uhh... Okay, you're, uh... Kinda freaking me out... Can you stop touching me...?" he asked, trying to pry Dorian's hand from his thigh, completely unprepared to have Basil's hands stroke along his hips. "Okay, seriously, stop...! I'm not... Like that. Like you guys. I don't mind," he said, quickly, "but I'm not..."_

"_Are you sure...?" came a strikingly familiar voice, Sam gasping and turning to it, eyes widening with confusion as he saw Kurt sitting on some kind of... Pink, glittery throne in a really, really weird outfit that was kind of like a dress but not really, in reds and whites and golds. _

"_Kurt...! What're you doing here...?" Kurt smiled enigmatically, twirling a tiara between his fingers._

"_Why, I'm the Queen here, Sam. The Queen."_

"_... Um... Okay... Can you, um, make these two stop touching me, please? I'm really... Not down with this," Sam protested, trying to escape from the two Victorian men who were really, really close now, their hands on him. Kurt crooked an eyebrow and stood, Sam realizing he was wearing some sort of white cloak made out of feathers._

"_Sam, you don't understand. I'm the Swan Queen here."_

"_... The... What? Dude! Let go of me...!" Sam said, shoving away Dorian's hands from his chest, flushing bright pink as Basil kissed his neck. "Seriously, Kurt, help me...!"_

"_But why...? You're enjoying it, aren't you?" Kurt smirked, looking downwards at Sam. Who slowly looked down too, and opened his mouth to protest and-..._

Sam sat bolt upright with a gasp, eyes huge in the darkness because _what the fucking fuck _had that been about...! And why the fuck was _Kurt_ in it, and... Oh, god... Sam slowly looked down at himself and clamped his eyes shut, going bright pink. "... _Shit_..." he whispered, collapsing back down on his bed. It... It was just because Quinn didn't put out and... And he'd watched that film with those two gay dudes and his mind had just... Put the only actual gay dude he knew in there and...

… Fucked everything up. _Shit_! He wasn't gay. He _wasn't_ gay because he seriously did like girls, everything about them, and... He _knew_ that but... Then he'd just... Gone and had that stupid dream about those two guys and _Kurt_ and oh _fucking god_ he'd had an erotic dream featuring _Kurt Hummel _and...

"... _Shitshitshit_..." he whispered, burying his face in the pillow and waiting for his problem to die down. It was just... It meant nothing. Guys had weird dreams like that all the time. It meant _nothing_. He was just... He needed to just... Watch more porn. Lesbian porn, with no dudes and... _If_ Quinn ever let them go a bit further, then he'd be fine.

Totally fine.

"... Fucking _Swan Queen_..." he gritted out one last time before forcing himself back into a deep, dreamless sleep. 

xxx xxx xxx

Sleep, however, was not coming easily to one David Karofsky. He was clicking listlessly – for the thousandth time – through Kurt's pictures on his Facebook. Via Finn's account, of course, the bumbling idiot had accidentally told him his password and... Yeah. The rest was browsing history. He paused on one of Kurt from the wedding, beaming and leaning against his dad, Finn on the other side of him and...

"... Shit," he whispered, dropping his head into his hands. He was so fucking _tired..._ Kurt's smile was burned into his retinas, a look he'd never actually _seen _on Fancy's face before but... _Fuck _if he didn't want to see it... To see him smile like that _at him_... Not that look of... Fear and hate and _disgust_. The memories of it slammed back into him, of Kurt's mouth against his, the way he'd shoved him away and that _look _in his _stupidfuckingeyes_. How much he was hated, how disgusted Kurt was by him, shining there and why the fuck _shouldn't _he hate and be disgusted by him?

Dave certainly was disgusted by and hated himself. Probably more than Kurt did now, seeing as he had that stupid fucking _boyfriend_, Mr. _Fucking Perfect_ with his slicked back hair and rows of white teeth, singing and dancing and fucking surviving that kidnapping and how the _fuck_ could he ever measure up to someone like that...? Fact was – plain and simple – he couldn't. Nothing about him was attractive whatsoever. He was failing classes, he was getting shit from the team, he was pretty sure his hair was falling out already... Dave stood, making his way over to the mirror on his wall and staring down at his body with eyes that looked positively haunted.

… He was so _fucking fat_. He _hated_ it, hated how he bulged at his stomach, his thighs, under his arms... His fingers and toes like... Like fucking sausages, especially compared to Fancy's slim, lithe body and his perfect legs and arms and-

"-DAVID! Dinner's ready...!"

"... I'm not hungry, mom...! I'm not feeling well, I'm going to bed," he called back down, shrugging out of his clothes and yanking on an old t-shirt and some boxers. He was... Just so fucking _tired_... All he wanted to do was sleep... Dave groaned into his pillow as he heard familiar footsteps come up the stairs, the door to his room creaking open. He turned a little, looking at who had come in and frowning sharply when he realized it was his dad there, and not his mom like he'd expected. "... Dad..."

"... David," he said back, picking his way over the messy floor to sit on his son's bed, watching as Dave flopped back down, really not in the mood to deal with... This. "... David," he said, gently. "This is the third time in a row you haven't had dinner."

"... I'm just not feeling well... I ate tons of lunch at school," he lied, closing his eyes and huddling up a little more in his bed.

"... I know that's not true, son... I got a call from your coach today... She's worried about you... She says you've lost weight and you punched a wall and hurt your hand..." His voice was filled with such gentle concern that hot prickles stung Dave's eyes. If his dad knew... If he knew what a fucked up _fag _of a son he had, he wouldn't be here...

"... Dad... I'm fine... I just don't feel well..." he mumbled, flinching when he felt his dad's hand gently squeeze his shoulder.

"... David... You can always come and talk to me or your mom... You know that, don't you...?"

"Yeah," Dave said, voice sounding hollow. "... I know..." God, like _hell_... Hey, mom. Hey, dad. I'm a big, fat, dumb fag. Hooray! Like _fuck_ could he tell them... He couldn't tell _anyone_... Especially not his parents. _Ever_. His dad was silent for a good few moments before he sighed, squeezing again.

"If I brought you up a bit of dinner, would you eat it...?"

"I... Sure, dad..." he murmured, though the thought of food made his stomach churn. "But... Just a bit, yeah...? I'm really not feeling good..." His stomach heaved again. His dad nodded, hand gently – tenderly – touching the back of Dave's head before he stood.

"Okay. See you in a few."

"'Kay," he mumbled back, pressing his face into the pillow and trying to control the feelings in his gut. Belatedly, he wondered whether they were sickness pains at all, or hunger pangs. He couldn't really remember the last time he'd eaten... He'd had like, a few mouthfuls at lunch before he'd thrown the rest in Puckerman's face... And he'd skipped breakfast that morning and... Shit, he'd just... He was just so fucking _tired_ and he could stand to lose a few pounds anyway, it wasn't like... He had a _problem_... Dave was brought out of his reverie a few moments later by the smell of chicken and rice, his dad coming back in the room with a little bowl of it and a glass of juice.

"Here you are," he smiled, sitting down again. After a second Dave sat up, realizing his dad wasn't going to go until he'd eaten at least some of it.

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking the bowl and the fork, letting it rest on his lap as he speared a bit of the chicken. He couldn't deny that the smell was making his mouth water a little, but he shot an embarrassed look to his dad before lifting the fork to his lips and taking a mouthful. "... 'S good," he nodded, eyes flicking back down to the bowl as his dad smiled, gently touching his son's knee.

"... How's school going, David...?"

"... It's fine, I guess..." he said after swallowing the heavy mouthful of food. "... I'm... Uh... Yeah..." he shifted a little in his bed and scooped up some rice. His dad's hand was warm and oddly comforting on his knee.

"I haven't seen Azimio around in a while... Have you two fallen out...?" he asked softly, concern shining his eyes. Dave shook his head, eating a little more and barely managing to resist just putting it aside and passing out.

"No... We're cool... Just... We're both busy, y'know..."

"Well why don't you get him round this weekend...? I've got a couple of tickets to a game," he smiled. "Thought I might take you and Azimio...?" Dave swallowed, looking up to his dad, opening his mouth and hesitating for a long second before his shoulders slumped a little.

"... Sure, dad... That'd be cool..." he murmured, missing the flash of relief in his father's eyes. Dave took another mouthful of food, stomach giving another lurch – neither pain or hunger, simply a tug of feeling that had him putting down his fork. He swallowed the mouthful, taking in a slow breath.

"David, are you alright...?" His dad's hand went from his knee to his shoulder, gripping softly. "... Son, look at me..." After a long moment, Dave dragged his gaze up to meet his dad's, his stomach giving another sickening lurch, fear slamming into him in case his dad _knew_, _knew _what a dirty, fucking _fag_ he was, knew all his disgusting thoughts and dreams and _shit_, he just... He... "... I don't know what's going on, son... You won't talk to me and you won't talk to your mom..." Dave swallowed heavily again, his breathing erratic. "... You're really worrying us... We can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong..."

"... Nothing's wrong..." Dave choked out, putting the bowl of food aside. "... Dad, please, I just... I'm really tired, I... I just... I've got a virus or something, I need to sleep..."

"... You've hardly touched your food..."

"... I'll eat more later," he mumbled, both of them knowing full well it was a lie. "... Please... I just want to sleep..." After a long moment his dad stood, moving over to his son and hugging him tightly. Dave froze up, clamping his eyes shut as he was touched, breath coming out shaky. His dad pulled back a moment later, looking at him with genuine paternal concern.

"... You can _always_ come to me, David... No matter what's wrong..."

"'Kay," Dave murmured, eyes still shut as he felt his dad's hand touch his head and them pull away with a soft sigh.

"I'll see you in the morning, David... Sleep well..."

"Night," he mumbled, laying down and dragging the duvet up and over him, huddling in a ball and ignoring the building headache in the back of his skull, hating the way he felt so big and how heavily the food seemed to weigh on his stomach.

… How could he tell his dad what was wrong when the thing that was wrong was simply...

… _Himself_...

xxx xxx xxx

Will smiled, finishing off his sandwich as Emma nibbled at her carrot sticks. After a particularly loud shouting matching between Sue and some ballsy member of staff Will didn't know, the two had escaped to the relative safety of Emma's office, eating lunch in comfortable silence.

"So," Will said, a few moments later. "Do you and Carl have plans this weekend...?"

"Oh, um... No," Emma smiled. "I don't think so. I think we'll just be watching a film at my home." Will nodded, wiping his fingers on a napkin.

"Well... I was wondering if maybe you and Carl would like to come round for dinner on Saturday night? I'm not much of a chef now that it's just me to cook for, but I can manage a kitchen supper," he laughed. Emma's eyes widened a little, an shocked smile on her face.

"... Well, I... Are you sure...?"

"Of course!" Will smiled. "I mean, we're friends Emma. What sort of friend would I be if I didn't at least invite you and Carl for dinner...?"

"I didn't know you cared that much for him," she said carefully, glancing down at her food. Will leaned forwards a little.

"... I care for you, Emma... And if Carl's the man for you, then I've got to accept that. Besides," he smiled, slumping back, "I want to get to know him, and I could do with a few more friends in the world. In fact, to make it less awkward, why don't I invite Shannon too?" Emma's smile widened, the look in her eyes softening to a point where Will's heart skipped a beat.

"That... That'd be really, really great, Will. I'll call you tonight to confirm," she smiled, nibbling at a chunk of apple. "It'd be really nice for us to all get together as friends..."

"I couldn't agree more," Will smiled, delving into his brown paper bag for the cookies there. He was interrupted by his phone going over, his smile slipping a little as he pulled it out and groaned softly, covering his eyes with his hand.

"What's wrong...? Who is it?" Emma asked, instantly concerned as Will sighed.

"... It's... It's Terri," he confessed. "She keeps texting me these really weird things... Oh, jeez... Listen to this... I can't stop loving you, one day you're coming back to me, you'll see, you won't be able to turn me down..."

"... Oh my god, Will..." Emma breathed, eyes almost comically wide. "... She sounds... She sounds _deranged_."

"I know," Will sighed, handing over his phone to let her flick through the previous texts. "She's gone off the deep end... I don't know what to do. My texts to her telling her to stop texting are just ignored."

"Maybe you should change your number...?" Emma said, handing his phone back. "And your locks."

"I've already done the latter, though somehow Sue's managed to get another key... Did you know she broke into my house and replaced all my shampoo with maple syrup?" Emma blinked at him.

"Um, no... Did you ask her why...?" Will rolled his eyes.

"She said it was to feed the elves working in the toy factory in my hair." Emma pressed her lips together in a motion that made Will suspect she was trying not to laugh as she glanced up at his hair.

"... Oh... Well, luckily," she said, turning to her desk and opening a drawer, pulling out a bottle of shampoo and handing it over with a smile. "I always like to make sure that should something happen, I'm prepared." Will smiled softly, taking it.

"... Thanks, Emma... Won't you need it though?"

"Oh, no," she smiled sweetly, gesturing to the desk. "I have three more in here. It's fine."

"... Oh. Well, thanks," he laughed. "Saves me a trip to the store, right?"

"Right," she laughed back, watching as Will slid the bottle into his bag. Just as he sat back up the bell went, signalling the start of school once more.

"... I'd best get going," Will smiled, standing up and shoving the remains of his lunch in his bag. "I'll see you later."

"Mmn! I'll let you know about dinner tonight," Emma nodded, waving as Will left with one last smile. She watched him go, merging into the influx of students and swallowed, softly touching her collarbone, adjusting her blouse and pulling it up a little more.

xxx xxx xxx

When Kurt practically skipped through the front door on Friday evening, Burt was pretty sure something had happened. When the smell of baking began to waft from the kitchen an hour after that, Burt _knew _something had happened. Almost the second the smell of cake was present in the house, Finn appeared from upstairs, casually strolling into the kitchen with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Hey, Kurt...! I didn't know you were back yet. Are you baking? Are you making cake? Is it the chocolate one?" Kurt laughed, rolling his eyes and looking over his shoulder. He was dressed in his casual fashion – skinny jeans and a nice sweater – with an apron on to protect his clothes, sleeves rolled up past his elbows.

"Good evening, Finn. I'm well, thank you," he said snidely, "school was lovely, as always, as was the drive home." After a moment of Finn looking awkward and hungry, Kurt relented. "I am baking. I am making cake. It is the chocolate one."

"... _Awesome_," Finn grinned, instantly moving closer to peer into the bowl Kurt was stirring. "Are you going to make the icing too?"

"Why not?" Kurt laughed. "... Do you want to help?"

"... Uh..." Finn's nose wrinkled, the teen being much more interested in eating the cake rather than making it.

"I'll let you have the bowl and spoon after it's in the cake tin."

"Deal," Finn grinned, nodding his head.

"Then put an apron on." Finn hesitated again, looking over to them.

"Dude, really...?"

"My cake," Kurt said simply, "my rules. Besides, cake mix is hard to get out of clothes. I don't want to burden Carole with more laundry because you refused to put on an apron. And don't call me dude." Finn grumbled something, going over to the hanging aprons and shoving on the only one that wasn't pink. Kurt handed him the bowl. "Stir it slowly, and don't eat any yet. It's just butter, eggs and flour. Not even you will like it," he smirked, Finn laughing good-naturedly as he began to stir.

Another hour later – and after a brief fight when Kurt caught Finn stirring the chocolate batter and then _sticking the spoon into his mouth before stirring again –_ Kurt pulled a perfectly formed chocolate cake from the oven with a proud smile. "There..." he said, putting it on the table to cool. "Touch it, Finn, and I'm dying your clothes pink."

"... I won't touch it," Finn mumbled, still scraping scraps of batter from the empty bowl and looking at the cake as if it was a lamb, and he the wolf.

"Good. I'll make the icing, you melt down this chocolate. And _don't eat it_."

"Okay, okay...! No eating it," he nodded, taking the bar. "... Can I have one square?"

"_One_," Kurt said with a warning glare as he started to make the chocolate fondant for the icing. "I'm watching you." Finn grinned at him and unwrapped the chocolate, breaking off two squares and handing one over to Kurt who, after a moment, took it. "Thanks."

"'S fine," Finn grinned, going off to melt the rest of it obediently as Kurt stirred the icing, slowly adding in the melted chocolate when it was ready and then – magically, to Finn's eyes – waving a flat knife thing over the cake and conjuring up a mouth-watering layer of chocolate icing that was moulded into perfect ripples.

"There," Kurt said, hands on his hips as he smiled at his masterpiece.

"... It looks really, really good..." Finn mumbled, staring at it. "... Can I have some now?"

"No," Kurt said, taking it and carrying it on its plate to the fridge. "After dinner. With ice-cream." Finn groaned softly, taking off the apron and scraping the bowl one last time before dumping it in the sink.

"Fine... Hey, uh... Do you want a hand with the washing up...?" he asked, gesturing to the mess they'd – he'd – made.

"... No," Kurt said, after a moment with a small smile. "It's fine. Thanks for offering, though."

"No problem," Finn grinned, blatantly pleased to be let off the hook as he escaped from the kitchen, Kurt snorting and starting on the washing up before preparing dinner. By the time Carole was home from work it was ready and everyone was sitting down at the table, the meal and cake soon finished.

Burt _knew_ something was up. Kurt had let him have cake _and _ice-cream, so he knew it was something he was inevitably going to be seeking his approval for. There was a lull in the conversation, Kurt clearing his throat and shifting in his seat as everyone looked at him.

"Dad... Carole... Finn," he smiled, clasping his hands together. "I have an announcement I'd like to make." They all blinked expectantly at him, though there was a look in Carole's eyes that seemed to hint she knew what Kurt was about to say. "Last Wednesday," Kurt said, biting back his grin. "... Blaine asked me out." There were a few seconds of silence before Finn blinked again.

"... Where to?"

… Carole gently touched Finn's shoulder as even Burt glanced at him to see if he was joking before looking right back at his son, who was staring at Finn. "No, Finn... Blaine asked me out. As in, now we're going out." Finn still looked blank. "... Boyfriends, Finn."

"... Oh!"

"... You got there in the end, sweetie," Carole said as she patted her son's shoulder again before beaming at Kurt. "Oh, Kurt... I'm so happy for you...! That's amazing news," she beamed, reaching forward and taking Kurt's hand, squeezing softly as he relaxed a little, smiling widely back at her with a soft laugh.

"Thank you...!"

"Dude, that's... Congratulations, man," Finn finally grinned, clapping Kurt on the shoulder. "Blaine's really cool. I mean, I thought you guys were dating already, so..." Kurt laughed again, flushing a little and smiling up at his brother.

"Thanks, Finn... It means a lot that you like him." Kurt finally turned his gaze to his father. "... Dad...? You haven't said anything..." Burt exhaled softly before looking to his son and smiling. It was small, but genuine.

"... I'm happy for you, son. Like Finn said, Blaine's a good kid and his parents are good folks... And I sort of knew this was coming, especially after you let me have the cake too," he snorted, Kurt laughing too and relaxing a little more, smiling at his dad. "... Come on, kiddo," Burt said, standing and nodding his head to the door. "Let's have a little chat."

"... Okay..." Kurt murmured, standing too as Carole smiled softly, starting to clear up and cornering Finn into helping as Burt lead his son to the small study he'd set up, sitting down on one of the chairs, Kurt perching in the other one. He wouldn't deny that a thrill of apprehension shivered through him, but his dad was taking it well, and besides, he'd known it was inevitable after Blaine had come out of hospital.

"... Since Wednesday, huh...?"

"Yeah," Kurt smiled. "... It was... It was really romantic, dad... He sang to me and... He was a real gentleman."

"... That's good," Burt nodded, hands clasped together as he watched his son, seeing the sheer happiness on his face and in his eyes as he spoke. "I mean it, Kurt. I'm really happy for you. God knows you deserve some," he snorted, cracking a small smile as he reached out, squeezing Kurt's shoulder briefly before taking his hand back. "... But you're not getting special treatment, okay? There are ground rules when it comes to dating, just like Finn has." Kurt rolled his eyes a little, but didn't protest. Yet.

"Okay... What are they...?"

"Your curfew is midnight."

"Okay," Kurt nodded. Reasonable.

"When Blaine comes round, I want an open-door policy, okay? I'll give you two privacy, but doors have to stay open." Kurt flushed a little, crossing his legs.

"... Okay," he nodded. Still reasonable.

"And Blaine has to sleep in another room."

"What...? Dad, no... Come on," he said, voice taking on a slightly petulant tone. "We share a dorm at school...!"

"That's different, there are two other guys in there with you," Burt said, crossing his arms. "Carole and I wouldn't let Finn keep a girl in his room."

"Dad, come on...! I'll set up a mattress on the floor. We'll keep the door open...!"

"Kurt, this is a non-issue. Aren't you always saying you want to be treated like everyone else? I'm treating you like everyone else." Kurt opened his mouth and closed it again, resisting the urge to glare. It would not help.

"... Well, where's he going to sleep then? I can't make him sleep on the sofa, his shoulder's still sensitive; and there's no way _I'm_ sleeping on the sofa."

"He can sleep in Finn's room."

"_What_! No...! Dad, that's not fair. Why does Finn get to share a room with _my _boyfriend...?"

"Because him and Finn aren't going to act inappropriately, and before you say anything," he cut in as Kurt opened his mouth again, "it's exactly the same as letting Mercedes sleep in your room, and letting Puckerman sleep in Finn's. Fair is fair, Kurt." Kurt took a deep breath.

"... Dad... We _shared_ a bed in New York... I'm just asking you let him stay in my room. You can come in and check we're in separate beds...! _Please_," Kurt said, giving his dad his best kicked-puppy look. "... I'll even ask Finn if he's okay with it, about the whole equality issue..."

"You know Finn'll say it's fine," Burt grumbled, "and you'll bribe him with cakes or something." Kurt could sense his dad's resolve weakening, letting his eyes tear up a little.

"... I'll keep the door open all night... I promise... We'll be in separate beds... And we've only been dating for three days... Please...?" There was a long, long silence before Burt groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Kurt bit back the victorious grin.

"... Fine. But you've got to ask Finn, and I want to have a little chat with Blaine when he comes round."

"Deal," Kurt grinned, skipping out of his chair and hugging his dad close. "Thanks, dad," he beamed, Burt sighing out and hugging him back before holding his shoulders.

"But I mean it. Open doors, separate beds and I _will _be coming to check."

"Got it...! Also, I'll cook on Saturday night. How does steak sound?" Burt snorted, ruffling his hair.

"Now you're just trying to get on my good side," Burt grinned as Kurt let out an affronted squeak, trying to save his hair. "Steak sounds good, kiddo. I'm heading to bed. Sleep well." Kurt smiled softly, hugging his dad one last time.

"Thanks, dad... You too..."


	9. First Date part b

xxx xxx xxx

To say Kurt was nervous was an understatement. He was currently pacing the sitting room, eyes flicking to the window every few seconds, phone dangling casually from his fingers as he waited for Blaine to arrive. Said boy – boyfriend, his brain happily reminded him – had insisted on doing this properly. Which meant he was coming to pick Kurt up. Which was great, except he was a bit late and Kurt was torn between freaking out – because what if something had happened? - and getting annoyed, because he was _late_. Kurt exhaled softy, brushing his fringe aside for the thousandth time.

"Dude," Finn said, playing some shooting game on the Xbox360, using the wide-screen TV and draped across the couch. "Chill. Seriously, you're making _me _feel nervous."

"Gee, Finn, sorry," he gritted before closing his eyes and forcing another breath out. "... Sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

"... It's fine. But seriously, he'll be here soon." Kurt turned to Finn after checking his phone, worry in his eyes as his stepbrother paused the game and gave him a little dopey smile. "You're lucky mom's not here with the camera trying to take a picture of you."

"... Why would she do that?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"She likes to document that sort of stuff. She took a picture of me and Quinn when we went on our first date." Kurt snorted softly as Finn flushed, rubbing the back of his head.

"That's both adorable and oddly creepy," he smiled, realizing that Finn had completely managed to distract him from his panic. "Maybe she's just waiting for—"

There was a crunch of car tires on gravel and Kurt gasped, turning to the window and beaming when he saw-... Finn (who'd stepped up beside him to look too) burst out laughing.

"Seriously...? He drives a red Mini Convertible?"

"... Do you think it'd be cruel if I broke it off with him because he's in a red Mini with pink sunglasses on...?"

"Probably, dude," Finn laughed, patting Kurt's shoulder as he watched Blaine hop out of the car with a grin on his face, taking off his sunglasses before going over to the door. Kurt swallowed, anticipation twisting sharply in his gut because _holycrap _he was about to go on his first date with his first boyfriend who was in a red Mini with _pinkfreakingsunglasses_ that _completely _clashed with his outfit and-...

There was a knock at the door.

"Oh, god..." Kurt whispered.

"Pretty sure it's Blaine, not God," Finn joked, elbowing Kurt and laughing as Kurt shot him a small glare. "... Go and get the door, dude...!" Kurt swallowed, taking a step towards it before freezing up again, hastily turning to check his hair and clothes in the mirror. Finn rolled his eyes. "You look _fine_. Jeez, will you just open the door...? And you call me awkward," he grumbled good-naturedly, ignoring the second glare he was sent before Kurt took a steadying breath and opened the door.

… Oh.

"Hey...!" Blaine grinned. "I was beginning to think I'd got the wrong house."

"... Hey," Kurt breathed, slowly looking Blaine up and down. He'd been so busy concentrating on the pink sunglasses and red convertible he'd completely missed that Blaine was in a simply gorgeous outfit – a white shirt that was just a little unbuttoned at the neck, fitted but just a little too long around the waist, hanging down over the belt of his jeans and a blazer casually slung over his shoulders. "... You look great..." Kurt smiled, finally regaining some of his composure as Blaine grinned again, flushing a little.

"Thanks... You look amazing, like always," he smiled, gently touching Kurt's arm. He'd taken into account the warm weather and the warm mall – as well as the fact that he'd been planning on buying a new coat for a while now – and had dressed in his tightest pair of white skinny jeans, a light blue top that was cut at an angle to showcase the sweep of his neck and collarbones, along with a white, loose cardigan that hung at mid-thigh, the wool soft and thin.

"I clash," Kurt murmured, still trying to get his head around the fact that he was about to go on a real date – _a real date – _with his _boyfriend_. "... With your car... Why do you have _pink_ sunglasses...?" Blaine blinked, a little surprised by the question before he laughed.

"They were a present from Wes and David after we first met. They're kind of... A good luck charm."

"Oh," Kurt murmured, deciding he could live with them, then. "I-"

"-Kurt...! I thought I'd missed you," Carole laughed, appearing and smiling. "Hi, Blaine."

"Hi...!" Blaine smiled, holding out his hand to shake with a charming smile that made Kurt instantly forget all about clashing colours. "It's really great to meet you again, Mrs.-"

"-Please, just call me Carole," she laughed, shaking back. Blaine chuckled too, nodding.

"Thanks, Carole. Hey, uh... Is Mr. Hummel here...?" Both Carole and Kurt blinked at Blaine in confusion. "It's just... I know I sound totally ridiculous," he said sheepishly, blushing a little. "It's just... The last time your dad met me I was still pretty out of it and... I want to do this properly and properly introduce myself. Without the mumbling about tigers being in the room."

"Oh...! Of course," Carole laughed, smiling warmly as Kurt tried not to simply melt at how _perfect_ Blaine was being. "I'll go call him down. Why don't you come in?"

"Thanks, Carole," Blaine smiled, looking to Kurt and taking his hand as Carole disappeared into the study. "... Are you okay with this...?"

"Why wouldn't I be...?" Kurt laughed, linking their fingers together and leading him into the sitting room where Finn was back on the couch.

"Oh, hey. I thought you guys were heading out...?" He asked, glancing down at their hands before back up.

"We are," Kurt smiled. "Blaine just wants to talk to dad first."

"... Uh, okay... How's your shoulder, dude?"

"It's fine," Blaine smiled, sitting on the other sofa, his hand still warm in Kurt's who sat too. "A bit sore now and then when I move suddenly, but everyone says the scar looks pretty awesome, so..." he shrugged, laughing softly and squeezing Kurt's fingers as Finn nodded.

"Yeah... So, uh... Congratulations. On the whole... Getting together thing. Finally," he snorted, both Kurt and Blaine flushing a little.

"Thanks, Finn... How's it going with Rachel?" Blaine asked, smiling as Finn rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah...! Yeah, it's fine. I think. I mean, we're still talking, so..." Just as Blaine opened his mouth to reply, Burt strolled casually into the room.

"Dad," Kurt smiled, feeling Blaine's hand tighten on his before he let go and stood, going over with his best beam, holding out his (other) hand to shake. Kurt bit back a laugh, noting that it was his dad who looked nervous and his boyfriend who looked like he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Mr. Hummel, it's really great to meet you again," Blaine smiled, shaking his hand firmly, but not too enthusiastically.

"It's good to see you too," Burt nodded, glancing to Kurt and Finn who were both desperately trying to look like they weren't listening to the conversation. "... Carole said you wanted to talk to me...?" He asked.

"Oh, yes. If... If that's alright," Blaine laughed, suddenly looking a little more nervous as Burt nodded and then gestured to his office.

"Sure thing." Blaine followed obediently, shooting one last smile at Kurt before closing the door and taking the chair opposite Burt, who was clearly waiting for the teen to say something.

"... Mr. Hummel," Blaine started, clasping his hands together. "... I really, really care for your son, and I feel that the last time we met wasn't... Right. I was out of it and I kept talking about tigers," he laughed, the twist of his fingers betraying his nervousness. "So... I just wanted to introduce myself properly." Burt blinked at him, a little taken aback and unused to Blaine's etiquette.

"Okay... Well, I know who you are," Burt snorted, trying to keep the atmosphere between them easy. Blaine laughed too, nodding.

"I know, um... What I really want to say... Well, to ask is... Is for your permission to date Kurt." Burt blinked, looking at Blaine for a few seconds as if trying to work out whether or not the boy was being earnest. From the nervous way Blaine was looking at him, he seemed it. "... Mr. Hummel, I'm really serious about him..."

"... I can see that," Burt murmured, nodding his head. "If I didn't want you dating Kurt, I'd have let you know," he smiled, Blaine's shoulders relaxing a little. "There are some ground rules, like curfews and separate beds,-"

"-Of course," Blaine nodded, accidentally interrupting and then going a little pink when he'd realized he had.

"... And an open-door policy," he finished. Blaine nodded again, smiling and still a little flushed.

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel."

"Just... Burt's fine," he smiled, standing and shaking Blaine's hand again. "Have a good time. When should we expect you back?"

"Kurt mentioned that he was cooking tonight, so we'll be heading right back after the game. I think it'll be around half six to seven."

"Wait," Burt said, "you're going to a _football _game...?"

"Um, yes... Is that okay...?" Blaine asked, blinking.

"'Course," Burt snorted, clapping Blaine's shoulder and shaking his head. "Though I never thought Kurt'd agree to go to a game."

"Oh, we're going shopping first," Blaine smiled as Burt opened the door and rolled his eyes.

"Should have guessed." Blaine gave Burt his best, most winning smile.

"The relationship between Kurt and I is built on equality and acceptance, so we try to do things that the other likes, and do our best to like it too. Like football and awards shows." After a moment Burt nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as Kurt casually appeared, looking between them quickly before smiling, going over to Blaine and taking his hand again.

"Have fun," Burt said gently, closing the office door and heading to the kitchen, smiling at Carole as she went back over to the two boys, camera in hand.

"Carole, no," Kurt laughed, though his fingers linked with Blaine's.

"Kurt, yes," she teased, holding up as Blaine grinned, leaning closer to Kurt. "I got one of Finn's dates, so it's only fair I get one of yours too." Kurt had flushed a little, looking to Blaine who simply slid his own little digital camera out of his pocket, handing it to Carole.

"Only if you take one on mine too," he winked, Carole taking it as Kurt rolled his eyes and resigned himself to his fate. Not that he was really fighting it. Before long photos had been taken and Blaine was opening the passenger door to his car for Kurt – who slid in with a small, flattered smile despite his grumble about not being a woman – and hopped _over _his own door to land on his seat. Kurt crooked an eyebrow, smirking.

"How long did you spend practising that, Blaine?"

"That all depends on how impressive it was," he grinned back, starting up the engine as Kurt slid on the hat he'd grabbed to save his hair from being ruined thanks to the open topped car. Kurt bit back a snicker, sliding on his sunglasses.

"... It was impressive," he admitted as Blaine put on his own pink monstrosities.

"Then the hours spent practising over the year were totally worth it," Blaine smiled, leaning over to gently kiss Kurt's cheek before easing the car out of the driveway, Kurt playfully batting him away though he was beaming and ever so slightly pink.

"You know, when you're not being Prince Charming, you're really goofy," Kurt smirked, leaning back against his seat as Blaine drove, flicking on the radio.

"Shut up," he said teasingly. "You love it."

"Luckily for you," Kurt smiled, gently touching Blaine's knee and revelling in the soft smile he was shot, the radio playing one of his favourite songs. The drive was perfect, filled with light teasing, warm sun and good music and – all too soon while not being soon enough – they were at the mall. Kurt exhaled slowly, looking up at the familiar building as Blaine smoothly put the roof up and locked the doors. He'd spent years fantasizing about the day he'd walk, hand in hand, through those doors with his boyfriend, chin up and chest out, proud and in love and... Now that it was happening, now that he was _here_ – and this was so stupid, because he and Blaine had been to this mall before – it just... Everything felt different.

New. Exciting.

"... Kurt? Are you okay...?" Kurt turned to Blaine, smiling and gently taking his hand, linking their fingers together as he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his boyfriend's – his _boyfriend's –_ cheek.

"Never better. Ready to go?"

"'Course," Blaine laughed, tugging him forwards and leading him inside the bustling building. The blast of cool air made them both shiver, squeezing the other's hand before Kurt tugged, leading Blaine to the Marc Jacobs store with a small, giddy smile on his cheeks.

"There's this new coat I saw, it's called the Mariner Cotton Coat, it's _fantastic_," he gushed.

"The twilight blue one?" Blaine asked with a grin, stroking his thumb over Kurt's knuckles as they went inside the shop. Kurt looked to him with what had been dubbed his 'You, Sir, Are A God' look.

"That's the one...!"

"It'll look amazing on you, but do you really have $500 to spend on a coat...?"

"No, Blaine," Kurt said, rolling his eyes, "I plan to steal it. Of course I do. I spend most of my free time working for my dad, you know. If I'm not actually in the garage, I do paperwork and so on. Therefore, I get both a wage _and _an allowance."

"Wait," Blaine said, stopping them dead in an aisle. "I knew your dad was a mechanic, but are you seriously telling me that you're a pseudo-mechanic too...?" Kurt smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty confident that I know more about the inner workings of your car without popping the hood than you do. Now, that coat." He tugged a blinking Blaine forwards, to the isle and plucking out the coat in question after a few moments of searching. "One day you'll realize that my talents are never ending, Blaine." Blaine gently wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, hugging him from behind.

"... I hope not... I always want to be surprised by you..."

"Pleasant surprises, I hope," Kurt laughed, his hand gently brushing Blaine's that were around him.

"Naturally," he smiled, letting his eyes drift closed as he pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's jaw before gently pulling away to inspect some of the clothing himself. Before long the coat was bought – and it _did _look fabulous on him – and the two were lazily wandering their way around the mall, hands clasped with shopping bags full of things to redecorate Blaine's corner with on their arms. Neither could care less about the couple of looks they got, caught up in their own little bubble of First Date-ness. They paused outside a little restaurant, inspecting the menu.

"What do you think...?" Blaine asked, smiling gently up at Kurt who nodded, squeezing his fingers.

"It looks lovely, but before we go in, I was wondering if I could just run back to that last shop we were in...? I just want to check something."

"Oh, sure! I actually need to use the bathroom, so... I'll meet you back here in ten?"

"Sounds perfect," Kurt smiled, regretfully letting go of Blaine's hand. "See you soon," he murmured before turning, the two heading off in opposite directions. Neither of them went where they'd said they were going, both slipping into different shops. However, ten minutes later, they were both outside the restaurant and smiling at each other, fingers linking immediately as they went in.

"No," Blaine said, holding the bill out of Kurt's reach. "I'm paying."

"Blaine, you paid for the tickets for the football match, _and_ most of the things for your corner, _and_ gas to drive me here and there. I can't let you pay for lunch too."

"I insist," Blaine grinned, slipping some bills into the wallet and handing it to the smiling waitress before Kurt could grab it back.

"Blaine...! You're so enraging sometimes," Kurt pouted, deciding revenge was best suited to a – gentle – jab in the ribs. "Well, fine. Because I bought you a present." He leaned down, opening one of the bags and sliding out another bag he'd hidden away.

"Kurt, you didn't have to," Blaine smiled, going a little pink as he took the bag from Kurt. "I'm getting major deja-vu about the meal in New York..." he snorted, gently pulling out the tissue-wrapped garment.

"This time," Kurt said, gently touching his hand, "I'm not letting you give anyone directions. Or letting you out of my sight." Blaine smiled softly, leaning over and brushing his lips over Kurt's, bringing a flush to the taller boy's face because his _boyfriend _was _kissing _him in _public_ and... Yeah, he was never going to get over that. Ever.

"I think I learnt my lesson... But thanks, Kurt..."

"It's fine," he breathed. "... Open it." Blaine laughed, turning back to the package and opening it, grinning when he plucked out the soft material of another sweater, this one in black.

"Oh, Kurt... Oh...!" He laughed, suddenly spotting the little emblem on the chest, tenderly running his fingertips over the bright orange tiger embroidered there, delicate and stylish. "... Jeez... You're so good at buying gifts... This is amazing..." Kurt snorted softly, leaning his chin on his hand and smiling sweetly at his boyfriend.

"... I'm glad you like it... I know you were totally out of it when you were talking about the, uh, Courage Tigers but... For some reason, even though it wasn't really coherent and you were up to your eyeballs in morphine it... It was really striking. I'm sorry," Kurt laughed, "I'm babbling. What I mean is..." he flushed a little, looking up to Blaine and gently taking his hand again. "... Is that you're the bravest person I know... You're the epitome of courage."

"Oh, _stop it_," Blaine laughed, flushing too and waving his free hand in an adorably camp manner.

"No, I mean it...!" Kurt grinned, squeezing his fingers. "You're one of the most amazing people I know... And whenever you need to be reminded of that... Hopefully you can look to this," he snorted, tapping the little tiger. Blaine was grinning, his thumb brushing Kurt's knuckles.

"... Kurt... Thank you. What else can I say?" He laughed, bringing Kurt's hand to his mouth and letting his lips feather against his boyfriend's fingertips. "... I was actually really upset when I had to throw the first one out, so... Thank you... _And_," he grinned, reaching down into one of his own bags. "I got something for you."

"When...?" Kurt asked, though he'd gone a little pinker, blinking as Blaine handed over a small package that was much like the one he'd just been given.

"I actually snuck back to a shop we'd just been in when I said I had to use the bathroom," Blaine winked, Kurt snorting and slowly undoing the paper, savouring the simple action of opening a present from his boyfriend. He slowly pulled the material free, eyes lighting up when he realized he was holding a scarf in a deep, tasteful red.

"Blaine, I love it... Thank you..."

"Look at the ends," he smiled, pointing as Kurt flipped them over and stifled a laugh. Beautifully sewn on with what looked like real feathers, were little angel wings.

"... I can't believe that out of everything in the mall, we had to pick out tigers and angel wings... Are you sure you don't have a Gucci princess dress in there for me too?" He teased, lovingly wrapping the scarf around his neck.

"... _Well..._" Blaine grinned, reaching into a bag as Kurt paled.

"... Blaine. You didn't get me a dress, did you...? Please tell me you didn't get me a dress." Blaine laughed, pulling back with empty hands.

"Joking," he grinned, batting away Kurt's hand as the taller boy made to lightly hit him, capturing his fingers and linking them together. "No dresses. I promise. Just tasteful scarves to do with inside jokes," he smiled, gently pulling Kurt in for a soft but lingering kiss. "... I love the sweater... And I'll take better care of this one." Kurt snorted softly, brushing the back of his knuckles against Blaine's jaw in a movement that still made his knees feel weak because he was _allowed _to touch.

"I love the scarf too... It's perfect. My new favourite. Even over the McQueen," he smirked.

"Now _that's _a compliment," Blaine laughed, eyes shining with an intoxicating glimmer, a look that simply made Kurt fall in love with him all over again and if anything could be said from the tender way Blaine watched Kurt, the same could be said of the other boy too.

xxx xxx xxx

"Go... Our team...!" Kurt said, clapping his hands as he subtly shifted a bit closer to his boyfriend, who was utterly engrossed in the game. "Blaine," he whispered, leaning in close, "I've forgotten which one is our team again, I think they changed sides." Blaine laughed, tearing his eyes away from the footballers for a second to give Kurt a small smirk, squeezing his arm where they were linked.

"You know exactly which team we're cheering for," he teased, nudging him good-naturedly. "You're just trying to distract me."

"Busted," Kurt snorted, tugging his new scarf a little tighter around his neck, and then adjusting the team one over it. "I guess the scarf is a give away. Damn my weakness for accessories." Blaine laughed again, his cheeks and nose dappled pink with the cool of the afternoon air as he leaned in and softly kissed Kurt's cheek, resting there for a moment before drawing back and looking at him seriously.

"... You're not really bored, are you...?"

"Of course not," Kurt said gently, resting his chin on Blaine's shoulder and wincing as two boys went down in a heap after a vicious tackle. "I'm only teasing you."

"Promise...?" Blaine asked, softly. "I mean, if you're bored, we can-..." Kurt leaned in and kissed him, effectively silencing him.

"Blaine, I mean it when I say I'm having one of the best days in my entire life," he said gently but completely seriously. "I _love _that we've incorporated both of our interests into our first date, I'm _glad _that I'm here at a football match with you, sharing something like this with you. I'm _glad _we argued over whether plaid was suitable or not in Sheets & Things," he smiled. "I'm glad... I'm glad that we're together. Wherever we are. Besides," he smirked, squeezing Blaine's arm. "Why on earth would I deny myself the chance to ogle some strapping young men in skin-tight clothing?"

"Kurt...! Stop it, I'll get jealous," he laughed back, prodding Kurt's side until the boy wriggled away, giggling. After another few tries Kurt stood, pecking Blaine's cheek.

"I'm going to get some coffee, it's getting cold. Your regular?"

"Please," Blaine smiled up at him. "Want me to come too...?"

"I can manage to get us coffee," Kurt snorted, touching his shoulder and heading back towards the little café area, still smiling giddily.

xxx xxx xxx

"Dad," Dave murmured, barely able to concentrate on the game. "I feel really rough... I need to go and get a coffee or something..." Paul Karofsky turned to his son, shooting a worried look to Azimio.

"Alright... Here," he smiled, pressing a $10 bill into his hand. "Get me one too, okay? What about you, Azimio?"

"I'm cool, thanks Mr. K," Azimio nodded, clapping Dave's back as his friend stood, his eyes staring at nothing. He turned, shuffling off into the crowd. This had been a huge mistake, to let his dad talk him into going out to the game, getting Azimio round, and to stop off at McDonalds beforehand. The second he'd finished the last salty chip, wiped the grease from his fingertips, he knew he had to find a bathroom. Fast. His guts had been churning and it had taken every ounce of will he had not to just throw up there and then in the car, instead excusing himself at the little garage his dad had stopped out to get gas. When he'd got back to the car, stomach emptied of all the disgusting, heavy food and his mouth had been thoroughly washed out with water, neither Azimio nor his father noticed a thing.

But now he was dizzy, his vision blurry and every movement seemed to take so much effort as he shuffled into the small café thing-...

… And froze. Utterly. His heart thudded, eyes huge, breath wheezing out in his throat because _Kurt Hummel_ was there, standing by the bar and waiting for coffee, and it was just the back of his head but Dave _knew _it was him and oh, _god_, when he turned to the side and his profile caught the light... Dave sat down heavily in a small chair, watching from behind a pathetic fake tree of some sort. He was having trouble breathing, every fibre of his being focused on Kurt, the tilt of his hips, the two scarves, the coat, the way he seemed to exude confidence and _god _how much Dave wanted to take the precious, porcelain Kurt Hummel and both smash it into a thousand pieces and cradle it – hold it (him, _him_, a fucking _him_) and cherish it and... Dave swallowed against the sickening swell in his stomach, ears straining to pick out the softness of Kurt's voice over the air as he took the two polystyrene cups and thanked the waitress, swooping out of the room via another exit.

Kurt was here. _Kurt _was _here_. Why the fuck was Kurt _here_? At a football game? Even Dave knew the only reason Kurt had joined the team last year was because he'd lied to his dad about it, and he had no interest in the game. Dave could reel off several Facebook statuses Kurt had written about how much he hated it so _why was he here_? Dave buried his face in his hands, trying to calm himself down. The last time he'd seen Kurt had been in Figgins' office and he'd thoroughly planned to keep it that way – until he'd found his way onto Kurt's Facebook thanks to Finn's account – so that these feelings, these awful crushing, sickening, rolling feelings would _stop_.

But they hadn't stopped. If anything, they'd gotten worse. It was actually hurting to breathe, the ends of his fingers searing with painful sensation, he felt cold and shaky, flushed and vision swimming.

"Hey, kid, you okay...?" A man clapped his hand down on Dave's shoulder, looking concerned. "You gonna hurl or somethin'?" he asked. Dave flinched, looking up at the stranger before shaking his head and standing, pushing away.

"'M fine. Just felt a bit dizzy. It's fine. Thanks."

"You look like you need to eat somethin'. Might settle you."

"Mm." Dave shrugged him off and went over to the cashier, mumbling out the order for two coffees – one plain, the other with cream and sugar for his dad – and taking the cups, giving the exit Kurt had disappeared through one last, longing glance before heading back to his seat in the stands. "Here," he said softly, handing over his dad's coffee and the change.

"Thanks, son. You missed a couple of tries, but nothing big."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Dave sipped his drink, the liquid almost scalding, but his eyes were scanning the crowd, looking for that blue coat, those scarves, those piercing eyes – so full of disgust and hate and fear – that smile – always a frown, a sneer, a twist of venom – that slim body – covered in bruises or ruined clothes-...

… There. There he was. With his fucking _hobbit _of a boyfriend. He wanted to point them out, to look to his dad for the reaction and if by some miracle his dad _didn't _get down on them for being gay, then... That would be... He couldn't even begin the swell of emotion, but the words 'redemption' and 'redeemed' seemed to fit it the best. But... If he didn't, if his eyes hardened – full of hate and disgust – and said that those two boys were nothing more than fags, heading right for hell, and all he could do was nod along and firmly fix that in his brain, to shove his own sordid self out and become normal again – become _straight _again, and god knew how hard he was trying – but... The pain of that... Of seeing the hate in his own dad's eyes...

Dave felt sick again, eyes flicking from the game to Kurt – watching as the two boys laughed and talked and cheered, holding hands and exchanging the briefest of kisses that both made the sickness swell inside him and his heart skip a beat. As if _he _could be in Blaine's place. As if _he_ could be the one with Kurt, making him laugh, making him _smile_ like that, those soft kisses that plagued his dreams being given to him and... Dave swallowed a mouthful of coffee, barely noticing as it scalded his tongue and throat. He was sick. Sick for wanting that. Utterly, utterly sick.

"... Dude, you okay...? You look like shit, man..." Azimio touched Dave's shoulder, pulling back as his friend flinched away.

"Fine. Just... Headache," he gritted out, focusing back on the game and missing the looks his dad and Azimio sent over his back to each other.

"... You sure-"

"-I'm _fine_! Jeez, will you just... Lay off? Please? Let's just watch the game, okay...?"

"David, don't speak like that to Azimio," his dad said gently, frowning. Dave opened his mouth to retort, snapped it shut again and closed his eyes.

"... Sorry. Just... I'm fine."

xxx xxx xxx

"Now," Kurt smiled, nodding to the wok full of stir-fried vegetables, "you simply put them in the bowl I've laid out, and we're ready to go."

"Jeez, Kurt," Blaine laughed, doing as told with a grin and munching a stray piece of carrot, "is there anything you can't do?"

"Hmn... No... No, I don't think so," Kurt teased right back, pulling the frying pan back from the cooker and starting to dish up. "Will you please tell the others that it's ready...?"

"'Course," Blaine nodded, moving past his boyfriend and kissing his cheek softly before going through to the sitting room and smiling at where Burt, Carole and Finn were watching some action film, the end credits popping up as he went in. "Oh, hey...! Good timing, dinner is served," he said with a mock bow, Carole shooting him a fond look as she stood, Burt and Finn following.

"Thank you, sweetheart. It was really kind of you two to cook tonight."

"Not at all," Blaine laughed. "Kurt was in his element."

"Being bossy?" Finn asked, moving past them and earning a glare from Kurt as the rest of them laughed.

"Funny, Finn. I wonder who's getting the small steak," he said haughtily, putting out the plates and pretending to give Finn the smaller one before putting it in his own place, ignoring Finn's beam as he took the big one.

"Thanks, Kurt."

"It's a pleasure. Tuck in."

Conversation was easy, the dinner going well and Blaine keeping both Finn and Burt entertained about the football game – which their team had won – while simultaneously managing to compliment Carole on her hairstyle, all in one breath. It was amazing, Kurt regarding him in awe as Blaine kept the other three in constant smiles and laughs, his etiquette and charm working its magic on each one in different ways. It was almost like watching a magician. Soon the meal was over and Finn had retired to his room to play video games, Carole had insisted on doing the dishes and Burt was going over the day's inventory in his office.

"Here we go," Kurt laughed, pulling out a DVD and chucking Blaine a blanket, going over to the television and setting up the film. "Dirty Dancing."

"Perfect," Blaine smiled, holding the bowl of popcorn safe as he sorted out the blanket, shifting a little when Kurt sat so that he could wrap his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. Kurt immediately snuggled in, pulling the blanket over them and draping an arm around Blaine's waist, positioning himself so that their small height difference wouldn't get in the way.

"... Today has been perfect... I've even got a soft spot for your car and the pink sunglasses now..."

"Well, that just made this perfect day even better," Blaine grinned, pressing his lips to Kurt's temple in a soft kiss as the film started up. Kurt snorted softly, closing his eyes for a brief moment and revelling in the fact that he was snuggling with his _boyfriend _on his couch, watching a film with _their song_ in it after a perfect first date and...

"... I can't remember the last time I've felt this happy, Blaine..." he whispered, looking up at him as Blaine smiled tenderly down and leaned his cheek against Kurt's temple.

"... Me neither..."

Apart from Blaine tugging him up to slow dance to Hungry Eyes – the sheer _romance _in it making Kurt's knees feel like jelly – the film was watched in quiet, soporific silence, the two almost nodding off. As soon as Kurt had turned off the television, Burt appeared.

"You two heading down...?" he asked, almost carefully.

"Yeah, dad. We'll see you in the morning," Kurt smiled, taking Blaine's hand to lead him out of the room as Burt nodded.

"See you then. Kurt," he said, just as Kurt was about to leave. "Remember the open door policy. I will check." Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled and nodded.

"Got it... Night."

"Night," Burt said softly, watching them disappear down the stairs, doors left open.

"Well," Kurt murmured, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to Blaine's lips. "Seeing as you're the guest, you can use the bathroom first." Blaine snorted, pushing their foreheads together.

"So kind, so thoughtful..."

"As always," Kurt smirked, shifting away from him and picking up his favourite pair of pyjamas. "Now go, before I change my mind." Blaine laughed softly and grabbed his own bag, heading to the bathroom. When he got back, Kurt was changed and in his own bed.

"When my dad's done his rounds," Kurt winked, "I'll join you."

"Are you sure...?" Blaine asked softly, sitting down on his own bed and smiling softly at his boyfriend. "I don't want you to get in trouble, and I'd like to come back."

"Honestly, my dad could sleep through an earthquake. Believe me," Kurt added as Blaine slowly crooked an eyebrow. "He has."

"Well, if you're sure," Blaine said gently, climbing into his bed as Kurt went over to his dressing table and started his skin routine.

"I am. Don't you want me to?" he smirked over his shoulder, lightly teasing as Blaine gave him a look that simply said 'that was a dumb question'.

"Of course I do."

"Well, then. Stop trying to put me off."

"Duly noted," Blaine grinned, flopping back down onto his pillows with a yawn and watching Kurt through half-lidded eyes. Before long he was done, in his own bed and with the lights off, quiet as they waited patiently for Burt to go to bed. A few moments later there were quiet footsteps, the sound of their door being opened. Both pretended to be asleep – though Blaine felt a little guilty because Burt was trusting them to follow his rules, which he had every right to make and enforce – and Burt soon left, the door half closing behind him. Kurt slowly exhaled, listening to his dad's feet climb the stairs and the door to his own room close before he moved, sliding silently out of bed and into Blaine's.

"See...?" he whispered, wrapping his arms around Blaine's waist and snuggling in.

"I feel bad... Your dad has every right to keep us in separate beds, Kurt... I don't want to upset him, and I really want a good relationship with him... He's so important to you and I'd hate for there to be any tension between us..."

"Blaine, you've practically got them wrapped around your dapper, charming little finger..." Kurt whispered, lifting a hand to comb his fingers through Blaine's short, soft curls. "... All we're doing is sharing a bed, and I'll sneak back into mine before he even wakes up..."

"That's not the point... It's a moral thing, a... A betrayal of trust..."

"... Why do you care so much about this...?" Kurt murmured, frowning a little in confusion as Blaine sighed, letting his forehead hit Kurt's shoulder.

"... Your dad is amazing... You're so lucky to have him and... I can't help but feel that by doing this, we're letting him down a little..."

"... Blaine," Kurt whispered, frowning softly. "... It's nothing like that... It's just like saying you went to bed at 11PM instead of 1AM..."

"... I guess... It's just that what you and your dad have is... It's mind blowing... That he's so supportive and open with you... The respect you two have..." Kurt was blinking at the ceiling, a little confused as to why Blaine almost sounded _upset _about this before something clicked in his brain and he remembered the way Mr. Anderson had watched them.

"... Your dad... He's not supportive, is he..." Kurt whispered, much more a statement than a question. He felt Blaine swallow against him, quiet for a tense moment.

"... No... No, he's not... Don't get me wrong, he never _says_ anything, but... It's silly, I'm sorry... It's late and I don't want us to be talking about it on our first date."

"I want us to talk about it... It's an important thing..." he whispered, his fingers gently combing through Blaine's hair in a way he hoped was soothing and not off-putting.

"... The thing is... There's not much to talk about..." Blaine mumbled into his shoulder.

"Okay, well... Have you told him about us...?"

"Mmn-hmn..."

"... And...?"

"... He... Didn't say anything... He just looked at me as if..." Blaine snorted, but his voice was soft and achingly vulnerable. "... As if I was the greatest disappointment in his life..." Kurt swallowed softly and exhaled, arms pulling Blaine a little closer. What the hell did you say to that...?

"He has to accept you some day..."

"If he had his way, he'd send me to an all girls school or something," Blaine snorted, though it wasn't funny. He drew back a little, touching Kurt's cheek. "... I'm sorry, I'm being so depressing..."

"It's not your fault... Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if you couldn't talk to me about these sorts of things...?" he smiled, kissing Blaine's forehead softly.

"... Thanks, Kurt... I just... Your dad is so amazing and I feel bad that... We're disobeying him..."

"... Blaine, if I were sneaking into your bed to do more than simply go to sleep with you, it would be. But we're not doing anything inappropriate," he murmured, thumb brushing Blaine's temple. "... Please...? I especially don't want to go now..."

"... If your dad comes in, I'm going to pretend to be asleep and innocent and blame you," Blaine grumbled teasingly, holding Kurt a little closer.

"Deal," Kurt smirked, closing his eyes. "Goodnight, Blaine..."

"Goodnight," he whispered back, brushing a soft kiss over his ear.

xxx xxx xxx

"Blaine, can you please pass me the egg carton?" Kurt asked, pointing to it as an adorably sleepy Blaine obediently held it out to him with a smile.

"Thanks for cooking me breakfast... Is it okay just to leave everybody else sleeping...?"

"Well, you're more than welcome to go and _try _to wake Finn, and I'm pretty sure my dad's health is benefiting from the rest."

"Mmn, true," Blaine nodded, hiding a yawn behind his hand as he leaned against the counter next to Kurt. "I like your apron... You kind of suit neon pink," he grinned. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Is this really you before the caffeine kicks in?" he teased, opening the box and looking up to Blaine with a smile.

"How do you like your eggs?" Blaine slowly grinned, shifting to wrap his arms around Kurt's waist.

"_I like mine with a kiss..._" he softly sang, Kurt biting back a smirk as he sang back.

"_Boiled or fried_?"

"_I'm satisfied, as long as I get my kiss..._"

Blaine leaned in but Kurt swiftly evaded, grinning as he almost glided over to the bread bin, pulling out a brown and a white loaf.

"_How do you like your toast in the morning_?"

Blaine followed, Kurt putting down the loaves and leaning against the counter, a come-hither glint in his eyes.

"_I like mine with a hug._"

Kurt pressed a single finger to Blaine's chest, smirking as he stopped his advance.

"_Dark or light_?"

Blaine leaned in, hands going to either side of Kurt's waist on the counter.

"_The world's alright, as long as I get my hug... I've got to have my love in the morning..."_

Kurt laughed softly, keeping up the pressure on his chest.

"_Or the rest of my day is positively mayhem_."

Blaine's hand lifted to gently cup Kurt's cheek, drawing him close as he smiled, winking.

"_I'm a regular monster..._"

Kurt laughed, escaping and waltzing himself back over to the cooker, shooting Blaine a flirtatious look over his shoulder.

"_How do you like your eggs in the morning_?"

Blaine followed him with an equally flirty glint to his eyes, following Kurt slowly around the kitchen.

"_I like mine with a kiss..._"

"_Up or down_?"

Blaine cupped Kurt's cheek, a smile playing on his lips as he leaned up a little.

"_I'll never frown, eggs can be almost bliss... Just as long as I get my kiss... How do you like your eggs in the morning?_"

Kurt escaped again, laughing as Blaine span him, clasping him close in a waltz and winking at him.

"_How do you like your eggs in the morning_?"

"_I like mine with a kiss..._"

"_I like mine with a kiss_..."

Kurt twirled them, the eggs forgotten as they passed the bread, Kurt subtly grabbing a slice. Blaine didn't notice, singing on.

"_Boiled or fried,_"

"_I'm satisfied_,"

Blaine shifted closer, Kurt letting him with what only could be called a longing, hungry look to his gaze.

""_As long as I get my kiss..._""

But just as Blaine leaned in to kiss him, Kurt brought up the slice of bread between their lips like a barrier, the laughter shining in his eyes.

"_How do you like your toast in the morning_~?"

Blaine blinked, surprised before he smirked against the bread shield.

"_How do you like your toast in the morning_...?"

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders, on the verge of tugging him close.

"_I like mine with a hug..._"

"_I like mine with a hug..._"

And then suddenly Kurt was escaping again, grinning as Blaine chased with a laugh to his voice.

"_Dark or light_?"

"_The world's alright_,"

""A_s long as I get my hug."_"

Blaine managed to corner him and suddenly they were waltzing back around the kitchen, grinning and flushed and pressed close – and if this wasn't the perfect way to start a morning, then what was? They slowed, Blaine singing softly in his ear.

"_I've got to have my love in the morning_..."

"_Or the rest of my day is positively mayhem_..."

"_I'm a regular monster_..."

They were just slowly spinning now, one singing while the other hummed the tune, their voices a little rough and scratchy thanks to the time and lack of vocal warming up, but the song was made all the more human for it.

"_How do you like your eggs in the morning..._?"

"_I like mine with a kiss..._"

"_Up or down_?"

"_I'll never frown_,"

""_Eggs can be almost bliss_...""

Kurt smiled, lifting his fingers to stroke Blaine's cheeks, over the light stubble that was slowly starting to show from a few days of not shaving and tilting their faces.

""... _As long as I get my kiss_...""

Just as they leaned in, Burt cleared his throat loudly from outside the door, causing the two boys to spring back from each other with light blushes on their cheeks. Carole came in first, smiling at them and complimenting their singing, Finn just looking at them as if they were some sort of rare, exotic exhibit in a zoo, and Burt had gone with the 'don't ask, don't get too much info' route, nodding his head at them and making coffee as normal.

xxx xxx xxx

Rachel's fingers skipped lightly over the bound covers of the books in the music shop slash library she used to visit frequently, before the piano sitting in the middle of the small room had become the symbol of her first real heartbreak. But she was a powerful, independent woman and it was stupid to not go to a book store because once, a long time ago, it held bad memories for her. She was so much better than that. Knew better than to let the ghost of a place haunt her. Rachel flipped open a book, glanced at the page and froze, slowly looking back up at who had just walked in the door.

Jesse. Jesse St. James. Rachel tried to shove the book back into its place and escape, cursing her luck, but before she could even make it around the corner, Jesse was beside her.

"Rachel...?"

"I don't want to talk to you," she snapped, turning from him. Jesse reached out, gently taking her arm in a motion that made her freeze.

"... Rachel, please... I've been trying to contact you, but you'd changed your number and email, and you never replied to my letters..."

"Wasn't that enough of a hint...? Let me go," she said quietly, glancing up at him. "... I don't want you near me..."

"... What I did to you was wrong," Jesse murmured, his voice low and soft. "It was... Inhumane... And I'm so sorry... There's no way I can ever make it right but... Please at least let me try to apologize..." Rachel swallowed, the tension thick and heavy in the air between them.

"Why should I... You broke my heart, Jesse... You used me and then just... Threw me away. You made me a laughing stock." Jesse closed his eyes for a moment, as if the words were physically hurting him.

"... I was told that if I didn't, they'd fail me and I'd have to resit the whole year instead of going to college..." Rachel frowned, tugging her hand back.

"That's no excuse, Jesse...! And besides, if that's true, why are you still here?" Jesse snorted, leaning against the bookshelf and looking down at her, a tender look in his eyes.

"... They failed me anyway..."

"... Why...?" Jesse closed his eyes again, tilting his head back.

"I was too important to Vocal Adrenaline to let go... Not to mention the guy who should have taken my place transferred..."

"That's... Surely that's illegal...! Can't you appeal...?"

"I tried, but... It was useless. So, here I am." He looked down at her, reaching out to gently grip her upper arms. "... Searching for you, Rachel..."

"... You can't do this to me," she whispered, turning her head away.

"... I want to salvage our friendship... Please... Will you let me apologize...?" After a long, long moment Rachel nodded, a single duck of her head. Jesse grinned, gently taking her wrist and leading her over to the piano, sitting down at the stool and looking up at her before starting to play.

"_What I thought wasn't mine in the light was a one of a kind, a precious pearl..._"

Rachel dropped her gaze for a moment, her fingers splaying on the slick black top of the piano, aware of people watching them.

"_When I wanted to cry I couldn't 'cause I wasn't allowed... Gomen nasai for everything, gomen nasai, I know I let you down gomen nasai until the end, I never needed a friend like I do now.._."

Jesse's voice was soft, melodic and brimming with emotion, every word seeming heart-felt and true. But Rachel knew how good at lying he was, how easily he could charm and talk and sing and _act..._ She twisted her fingers together, looking up at him.

"_What I thought wasn't all so innocent was a delicate doll of porcelain... When I wanted to call you and ask you for help, I stopped myself..._"

But his eyes shone with feeling, so open and honest that Rachel felt her heart and stomach twist, reminded once more of how well they had gone together, how perfect they'd been...

"_Gomen nasai for everything, gomen nasai, I know I let you down gomen nasai until the end, I never needed a friend like I do now.._."

… They could be friends again... Perhaps... Jesse seemed so sincere, and he had been held back again and she _knew _how ruthless and clinging Vocal Adrenaline was when it came to their performers...

"_What I thought was a dream, a mirage, was as real as it seemed... A privilege... When I wanted to tell you I made a mistake, I walked away..._"

The whole store was watching them at this point, Rachel silent and her eyes fixed on Jesse's face as he sang, everything in her both aching to believe him and warning her not to.

"_Gomen nasai, for everything... Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai, I never needed a friend like I do now... Gomen nasai, I let you down gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai until the end... I never needed a friend like I do now..._"

The final notes died away, Jesse looking up at her and silent, waiting for her reaction. Rachel ducked her head, looking away as she touched the star necklace hanging by her throat.

"... Your voice certainly hasn't lost any of its emotional depth..."

"... That's because I meant it, Rachel... Every word..." he stood, taking her hands. "... I'm so sorry... Can you ever forgive me...?"

"... Not yet," she whispered, closing her eyes as Jesse nodded.

"... Then let me take you to a show. As friends. I have two tickets to Rent... Please...?" A few seconds later Rachel looked up at him and nodded, cracking a small smile.

"As... Growing friends."

Jesse grinned softly and nodded back, squeezing her hands.

"Thank you..."

xxx xxx xxx

A/N: I know I say this every time but _wow. _I can't thank you all enough for all the support you've given me, every single thing makes me so happy! I just love getting reviews, they utterly brighten my days! I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who follows me on Tumblr! You can find me under the name gleekilicious, the same as here! Please do add me, I love to blog little spoilers about the fic! Another big thanks to my amazing beta, I couldn't do this without you, and another huge thank you to Dekuku on Tumblr, who draws me amazing fanart I reblog! Thank you so much to you all~!


End file.
